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PASCO COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a motorcyclist died following a collision with a parked vehicle in Pasco County, according to a report by WFLA.

The crash took place March 16 on Evergreen Court near Cummer Road in the area of the Cypress Manor residential community near Dade City.

The FHP said a man was riding a Yamaha motorcycle southbound at about 11:52 a.m. when he lost control of the bike and collided with a Toyota RAV4.  At the time the Toyota was not occupied and was parked near the residential community.

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MARION COUNTY, FL – One person was killed and six others injured in a collision on Interstate 75 in Marion County Wednesday night, WKMG reports.

The incident took place along I-75 south about four miles north of State Road 326.  The Florida Highway Patrol’s investigation determined that a van had become disabled in the center lane of the interstate at about 10 p.m. as the result of a prior crash.

Another driver heading south on I-75 did not see the van in time and crashed into the back of it.  The 71-year-old van driver died after being taken to an area hospital.  His five passengers, three women and two men all in their 70s, were hospitalized with serious injuries.  All occupants of the van were from Ocala.

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A 40-year-old man has been accused of murdering two elderly women at an assisted living facility in California.

Two women, ages 83 and 75, were found dead when police responded to an emergency call at Happy Home Care on June 24. The women both lived at the facility.

The man accused of killing the women was employed as a live-in caretaker at the facility.

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LAKE COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said an SUV and a semi-truck were involved in a fatal collision in Lake County on Tuesday morning.

The Leesburg News reports the accident occurred near the intersection of State Road 19 and O’Brien Road.  According to the FHP, the driver of an eastbound semi approaching the intersection at about 7 a.m. turned into the path of a 2017 Toyota 4-Runner.

The Toyota hit the trailer being towed by the truck.  The Toyota driver, a 73-year-old Howey-in-the-Hills woman, was pronounced dead after being taken to an area hospital.  The semi driver was a 43-year-old man from Palm Springs.

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ZEPHYRHILLS, FL – A hit-and-run driver is being sought in connection with the death of a man in Pasco County Sunday night, reports WTSP.

The incident occurred on Green Slope Drive near Oak Run Circle in Zephyrhills.  According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a man was lying in the dark roadway for an unknown reason at about 9:30 p.m. when he was struck by a vehicle.

The victim, 28-year-old Zephyrhills man, died at the scene.  The FHP said the driver involved in the collision did not stop to help.

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SPRING HILL, FL – State troopers said a motorcycle rider was killed in a collision with a vehicle in Hernando County on Friday afternoon.

WTVT reports the victim was a 50-year-old man from Spring Hill who was riding a Suzuki motorcycle west on Spring Hill Drive at about 4 p.m.  The Florida Highway Patrol said a 55-year-old woman was driving a Chevy Colorado in the same direction and merged into the motorcyclist’s inside lane east of Godfrey Avenue.

The truck hit the motorcycle, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.  His name was not immediately released.

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Distracted driving takes many forms, but the most common distracted driving practices are using a cell phone, playing with the radio, and eating.

Eating while operating a vehicle is always dangerous, certain meals are more likely to cause distractions than others. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ranks chocolate, hot coffee, jelly and powdered donuts, tacos, fried chicken, hamburgers, and chocolate among the top ten most dangerous foods to consume while driving. According to research from The Zebra, four of these top 10 most dangerous food items are some of the most popular foods to eat when behind the wheel.

Here are the most popular foods to eat while driving:

  • French fries
  • Candy bars
  • Burgers
  • Chips
  • Granola bars
  • Donuts

Did you know that the average fender bender without any injury’s costs about $7,000? That is the equivalent of around 3,000 trips to Starbucks, 3,500 orders of McDonald’s french fries, or 6,000 Hershey’s candy bars. If a driver and/or passenger are injured in a fender bender, then that number can take off to upwards of $70,000. Just some food for thought – eating while driving can cost you.

Eating while operating a vehicle is risky since it diverts your full focus from the road. It only takes a few seconds for a car accident to occur, and eating while driving may prevent you from reacting in time to prevent it. Here are a few more reasons why eating and driving is a major distraction:

  • Both hands are not on the wheel:When you eat, you probably use at least one of your hands to hold the food. This means you cannot have both hands on the wheel, and some drivers may even attempt to steer the wheel with their knees. This is very dangerous and increases your odds of being involved in a collision.
  • Reaction times are delayed: As previously noted, eating while driving causes you to lose concentration on the road ahead and instead concentrate on your meal, which slows down your reaction time. Car accidents can result from even a momentary distraction. Rather than fretting about the french fries that under the driver’s seat, attentive drivers might anticipate changes in traffic by noting signs indicating a lane closure or brake lights from the car in front of you.
  • Food is a distraction: Eating in general is a distraction, whether you realize it or not, and when you combine that with driving, then your focus is split. You may pay less attention to the road after hitting up Dunkin’ Donuts for your morning iced coffee and jelly donut because you are focused on not getting said donut or coffee on your clothes. The same goes for any type of food, so it is best to refrain from eating while driving. The NHTSA has found that 65% of near-miss accidents are due to drivers who are eating while driving. Even scarier, driving while behind the wheel increases your chances of being in a car crash by 80%.

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GoPasco offers free bus rides to Pasco County voters on Tuesday, March 19, so anyone needing transportation to the polls has it!

Voters who present a valid voter information card will receive free bus rides thanks to a partnership between Pasco County Public Transportation and the Supervisor of Elections. Voters who otherwise would not have been allowed to cast a ballot on election day have come to favor the collaboration, which has been in place for a little over ten years.

Polls throughout the state open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

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NEW PORT RICHEY, FL – New Port Richey police responded to the scene of a fatal pedestrian accident that took place on Thursday morning, reports the Tampa Free Press.

The incident happened in the area of US Highway 19 and Green Key Road.  According to police, a man walking east on the highway from the center median at about 7:25 a.m. was hit by a vehicle heading north in the middle lane.  The pedestrian died after after being taken to Bayonet Hospital.

The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene, police said.  So far there have been no criminal charges in the case.

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ZEPHYRHILLS, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol was called to the scene of a fatal collision involving two vehicles in Pasco County on Wednesday night.

New Port Richey Patch reports the accident happened on Chancey Road north of Correia Drive in Zephyrhills.  According to the FHP’s investigation, a woman was driving north on Chancey Road shortly before 7:30 p.m. when she lost control of her vehicle while going around a curve and crossed over the center line.

The vehicle collided nearly head-on with another vehicle.  The driver of the first vehicle, a 44-year-old woman from Apollo Beach, was pronounced dead at the scene.

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