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Speeding biker dies in car crash

Authorities say he was wearing a helmet, but it didn't stop the tailpipe of the car he slammed into.

By ALEX LEARY
Published October 27, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - A 41-year-old man died after crashing his Kawasaki motorcycle on 34th Street N and being impaled by the tailpipe of a car in front of him, police said.

Kenneth Mack Strother Jr. of St. Petersburg was traveling at a "very high rate of speed," police said, and locked up his brakes as he approached stopped traffic on the overpass near 38th Avenue N about 6 p.m. Tuesday. Traffic was stopped for a red light.

"The motorcycle then either fell over, or Strother put the bike down onto its left side," according to a written police statement. Strother was wearing a helmet but he collided with the rear of a Nissan driven by Monica Crawford of St. Petersburg.

"The tailpipe of the vehicle penetrated the right rear of Strother's helmet, then impaled him just behind his right ear," the statement said.

The Kawasaki slid south, hitting and flattening the front right tire of a 2003 Ford pickup, then striking the right side of a 2004 Chrysler.

Strother, who installed kitchen cabinets for Home Depot, was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was injured.

The accident was still being investigated Wednesday, and police had not determined how fast Strother was going.

State records show he has a clean driving record for at least the past seven years.

"He was a wonderful guy," said Strother's sister, Evalene Driemel, sobbing. She said her older brother had a 19-year-old daughter and had ridden motorcycles since his youth. "Why didn't that helmet help him?" Driemel asked, again breaking into tears.

The Florida Highway Patrol said speeding is a particular concern for motorcyclists even if no accident results. Motorists become unsettled by a motorcycle zipping by.

"Motorcycles are getting faster and stronger," Maj. Tom Knight said. "We've clocked them at 120 or 130 mph."

Unless a motorcyclist pulls over for a trooper, there is generally not a chase, Knight said, because it could be dangerous for others.

[Last modified October 27, 2005, 01:27:13]