A male motorcyclist, who has not been identified, suffered serious injuries on January 2, 2013. According to authorities, this St. Petersburg motorcycle accident occurred Wednesday evening around 7:00 p.m. on Fourth Street.
The motorcyclist on a 2008 Suzuki was headed south on Fourth Street just before the intersection with 78th Avenue when a 2012 Chevy pickup truck made a left turn from the northbound side of Fourth Street onto 78th Avenue. Police indicated that the pickup truck driver, Phillip Corcella, 26, did turn in front of the motorcycle, causing the bike to hit the truck.
Sadly, the motorcyclist was thrown onto the ground and suffered serious injuries. He was transported to Bayfront Medical Center for treatment. Corcella was not injured in this wreck. The crash remains under investigation.
One week later, a similar motorcycle accident occurred. This time, a 30-year-old St. Petersburg resident was involved in a motorcycle crash that left her brain swollen and in a medically induced coma. Cassandra Andonian was riding with her boyfriend Andrew Ankrum on their way to Biff Burger when a car turned in front of them.
Neither Cassandra nor Andrew was wearing motorcycle helmets at the time of the wreck. They were both transported to Bayfront Medical center in critical condition. Since then, Andrew has been discharged from the hospital but Cassandra remains in a deep coma.
Cassandra’s friends and family are raising money for her medical bills—she was a bartender who did not have health insurance.
Mallard Perez would like to extend our best wishes to all the motorcycle accident victims in these crashes for complete recoveries.