PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — A Port St. Lucie man is dead after his e-bike drove off a sidewalk and struck a metal loading ramp on the back passenger side of a trailer on Tuesday, the Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) says.
According to PSLPD, on Tuesday at about 12:09 p.m., police responded to NE Floresta Drive and NE Airoso Boulevard after receiving reports about a vehicle crash involving an e-bike.
PSLPD said its investigation revealed Richard Kenneth Douglas Willis was riding his e-bike heading east on the sidewalk of NE Airoso Blvd, around the same time a 2018 Dodge Ram pickup truck, towing a 2021 flat utility trailer with a skid steer on it, was heading west on NE Floresta Drive.
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As the pickup truck turned right onto NE Airoso Boulevard, police say, the e-bike failed to negotiate the curve on the sidewalk, causing Willis, 35, to run into the ramp.
Willis was ejected from the e-bike and sustained serious injuries, police say. Willis was taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
PSLPD says the driver of the Dodge pickup truck remained on scene and cooperated with the investigation. Police found that the driver was not impaired and that they had the green light when they made the turn and collided with the e-bike. Witnesses who were at the scene estimated that the e-bike was traveling at 30 mph just prior to the crash.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has video of the crash is asked to contact Traffic Homicide Investigator Officer Brian Thompson at 772-871-5001 or the Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 800-273-8477.
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