Bicyclist hit
by car on U.S. 17
PHOTO BY STEVE STEINER
According to an unofficial report by Bartow Police, the brakes gave out on the1989 Dodge Ram truck laying on its side as it approached the intersection of U.S. 17 and U.S. 98. It set off a four-car collision. Two people were transported, one to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, the other to Bartow Regional Medical Center. (Further details will be available in the Saturday edition of The Polk County Democrat.
Bartow Police Chief Joseph Hall
Compiled by Mary Cannaday
Joseph Bird, 61, was hit by a motorist and thrown from his bicycle Monday afternoon as he began riding across U.S. 17 at Martin Luther King Boulevard in Bartow.
At about 4 p.m., Bartow Police and Fire personnel responded to the corner, where a Volvo XC-90, driven by Melanie Lowery had allegedly struck Bird as she was making a right-hand turn onto U.S. 17. She had been stopped at the red light, police said, prior to making the turn. According to the driver, “He just came out of nowhere. There were no witnesses that saw him before the accident.”
