Car/Bicycle Accident on Morse near Rio Grande
 

I just witnessed a horrific accident on Morse Blvd near Rio Grande.A person on a bicycle in the golf cart path was hit from behind by a car.I don't know if she survived.The worst thing I've ever seen in my life.Prayers to all involved.

Accident
 

What happened with that mini-van? Saw the firefighters cutting the top off. Worst one I have ever seen

The vehicle hit the cyclist,traveled across Morse onto grass,went another fifty to hundred yards and hit either embankment or tree or shrubbery.The poor victim stayed on hood of vehicle until the vehicle hit embankment and wasn't till then till she was thrown off-This is something I'll never erase from my mind-Prayers again to all.

car on the golf cart path?

Accident on Morse near Rio Grande
 

A little over 2 hours ago my husband and I were driving south on Morse, a few blocks before Rio Grande, when we saw a bent bicycle on the side of the road, debris on the road, and an older couple just getting out of their car. They flagged us yelling for us to call 911. It was when we stopped and asked if they needed help the lady hysterically explained a bicyclist had been hit and was being carried down the road on top of the car.

At the time 911 answered my call, we came upon a horrific scene just yards north of Rio Grande. A light blue SUV, with a totally destroyed and smoking front end, was resting in the east culvert with an older man behind the wheel. Three people were already there and, I assume, had talked to him because they turned and walked away. To me, he appeared to be conscious but I'm not sure. Then I saw the bicyclist. A lady with brunette hair, wearing red shorts and a white top, lying face down and motionless on the grass. A man was crouched next to her. He was also very still, just staring at her. Other bystanders were running her way, but we kept traveling on as there were already many stopped cars and people on both sides of Morse.

My husband and I think there was probably a 2nd car involved, that we didn't notice, because the SUV was so heavily damaged and looked like it had been in a near head on collision with another vehicle. We really don't know and this is just speculation on our part. I certainly don't want to start any rumors so that is why having a 2nd car involved may not be the case...just what we think. As we approached Morse and 466, EMS was turning the corner headed toward the accident.

I'm writing this because I have been sitting here at home and have such a heavy heart and can't erase what I saw nor get it off my mind. I wish we had taken another route home.

In ending, I am asking for prayers for this lady and others involved with this accident. I would also appreciate any information anyone might have about the accident and the outcome. Feel free to pm me.

yes car was on golf cart path,also in all lanes of traffic on Morse-was going back and forth between both car lanes and golf cart lane

Sounds like either a drunk or a medical occurrence. Prayers for all, especially that poor girl.

Bad Wreck & Bicycle Accident
 

Took this picture around 4pm on Morse Blvd next to Rio Grande. It appears there was also a Bicycle that was involved.... Details should be soon

[IMG]http://i843.photobucket.com/albums/z...fter/Wreck.jpg[/IMG]

There were 3 threads started on this incident. We have merged them into 1 thread. Posts will appear chronologically. Thanks to all for your reports and positive thoughts for the victims.

Moderator

The MM path on Morse is completely off the road on the northern section of the road. The is becomes just a lane to the right of the roadway but on the roadway.

Did this happen where the MM path is part of the road or north of there?

There was a MM line on the road.

Thinking of all of you who witnessed this and sending prayers both for you and the victims.

The Villages on-line news is reporting that the bicyclist is in critical condition. Both the cyclist and the driver were transported to the Ocala Regional Medical Center.

Would you please post the link? I went to the site and didn't see the story. Thank you so much!

brightspot, TOTV will not allow any links to the online news to be posted. You'll have to google villages dash news.

There is more info in this thread than in the news story.

So sorry you had to witness this. We came upon it also and it just made both of us I'll. prayers to all involved. If anyone made it out alive it will be a true miracle. So very sorry.

Unable to post link on this forum. Go to their website and look on the right hand side. It's the first story under breaking news. As reported above, it's a very short two sentence article.

Thank you! I found it. I continue to cry about this and hope she pulls through.

Thank you. I found it!

Here's the short article from the paper:
Bicyclist in critical condition following collision on Rio Grande Avenue
July 25, 2014 By Meta Minton Leave a Comment
A bicyclist and the driver of an automobile were both transported to Ocala Regional Medical Center following a collision after 1 p.m. Friday on Rio Grande Avenue in The Villages.
The bicyclist was said to be in critical condition.

I have been riding a bike almost daily for 35 years. I always wear a helmet. I have hit my head and cracked my helmet on occasion. Been riding in the villages for eight years. I. have become increasingly afraid in the last year or two riding my bike here .I've tried different things. Riding early in the morning, later in the evening thought about getting a tricycle. I don't know if it would help but I pray this girl had a helmet on. I see so many people riding on the road with the cars and carts and no helmet. I often look at the people riding and the people driving their cars , and carts that sometimes appear to try and hit me on purpose and wonder if they have any respect for human life.theirs or mine . I had a man scream at me the other day that 'a a @$@&$ of a place to stop .when I stopped coming out of the tunnel where there is a stop sign to let him pass so that I could get up the power to get up the hill Some of you will know who I amI've been a pediatric nurse for 30 years some of that in the neurosurgery unit I've seen my share of accidents. This is just so sad and scary. Please be careful out there.

May The Lord comfort you who saw and angels watch over the victims...
How sad...

Sadly, the report is not accurate. The collision did not happen on Rio Grande. It happened on Morse. It did occur after 1 pm but it was actually after 2 pm. Accuracy is important.

Where this happened the MM path is part of the main road, only separated by a white line.

That whole section of Morse is very dangerous; you are correct, the Morse/Rio Grande light has a MM path between the right turn into onto Rio Grande and the straight lane going north

All I can say, Kathie, is that serious cyclers ride on the road. A day's exercise for them can be 40-50 miles, and speeds they obtain are faster than what golf carts can do legally. So they may consider riding on the MM paths to be too much of a hassle. It's legal for them to be on the road, although for the life of me, I don't understand why they take chances they do, especially around here with so many elderly drivers who may experience medical emergencies, distractedness, etc.

Maybe some bicyclists will offer other reasons.

My prayers go out to both of these people.

Kathie, because those driving on the MM paths are just as inconsiderate and rude as many drivers on the rode. I haven't cycled in years but when I did my speed exceeded that of the MM paths. Serious cyclist are safer on the road and they have a legal right to be there. I know it makes car drivers nervous and/or irrateted to drive behind them but it is the law that they are allowed to be there.

"...I still don't get it, if there is a MM path (or whatever its called), WHY ride in the main road and take chances?? Maybe some one could enlighten me?..." Although the bicyclist was riding on the main street, she was in the marked MM lane where she (and golf carts) are allowed to ride.

Although I agree with everything you've stated (as I'm a serious cycler) I don't know if things will ever get better until either motor vehicle drivers become more tolerant or are cited for their neglect of the law.Prayers for all those involved!

Not to start another car/cycle argument, and I totally defend cyclists' right to the road, but you are conveniently forgetting about all the cyclists who ignore the rules of the road. It is not all the motorists' fault.

I am sure that the OP means golf cart lane. The other route for golf carts is the Multi-Modal Path.

As I drive around The Villages I find most drivers are polite but the ones that aren't both in the golf cart and the car are the rudest, most inconsiderate drivers I have ever encountered. Happily they are few and far between.
I thought the law in Florida is that you must give a bicyclist a 3 foot clearance when passing.
Too many people are still driving here when they should have given up their licenses long ago. I will never forget my father's in law doctor telling him that he could still drive after having a defibrillator implanted. Both my husband and I said absolutely not - if he was in such bad condition that he needed a defibrillator then he wasn't in any shape to drive safely. Maybe he would have been fine but we felt better safe than sorry.

We saw the aftermath of the accident (what the photo shows) on the way to dinner. Very tragic accident. Prayers for the victims.

That looks like the northbound side of Morse. Were the car and bicycle heading north?

Accident
 

We, too, came upon the accident just ahead of us on Morse as we turned right on Rio Grande at 3:00. There were multiple ambulances, fire engines, law enforcement vehicles with lights going.

When we returned around 5:45 and drove by the area going south on Morse, we saw a mangled bicycle on the right side of the road and a wrecker taking away the mangled blue van further down on the left and one police car directing traffic where the wrecker was.

There was quite a distance between the bicycle and the car. I can't even imagine how awful for all involved. Praying for everyone's recovery.

The bicyclist and car were headed SOUTH, as stated in my original post.

The car and bicycle were both headed south.The accident happened about two hundred yards before the redlight at Rio Grande.The car with the woman on the hood traveled another hundred yards before hitting a tree or embankment and got turned facing north.It was at this point the cyclist was thrown off the hood of the vehicle.The driver of the vehicvle had been traveling on the golf cart path ,then the south bound car lane,then the north bound car lane[right at oncoming traffic]and then the golf cart lane again where it hit the bike.I saw the whole thing in the rear view mirror of my car.The point where there are a car lane,cart lane and turning right lane on Rio Grande had nothing to do with the accident.It happened going south two hundred yards before the intersection.