Just figured Id put another rider down thread up. This one will probably be the closest one to me. One of my, what I considered, really good friends.

Larry L. Baker, 26, died at the scene of the accident on Kennedy Blvd. near Brevard...

From what I heard, as I was in Pittsburgh at the time, he was riding down Kennedy at 5:43ish AM, when he "failed to negotiate the turn" and went down on his black CBR600RR. While sliding, the bike along with him went into the curb, and he was flung off the bike - almost like a catapult. Once in the air, he flew near a newly landscaped area into a cement wall. He was pronounced DOA.

Some things to me are left a little unclear, such as the time - my personal connection is I used to work with him at the Kennedy, and him and I left ALWAYS at the same time; we never left later then 5:00AM, even after BSing in the parking lot after getting slammed. The time of day baffles me. Leaves things unanswered.

Links to news articles:
Motorcyclist dies in Tampa accident - St. Petersburg Times
Tampa Police Investigating Deadly Motorcycle Accident

Please be respectful. He ALWAYS did under the speed limit, even when I rode off in front of him. He ALWAYS wore a helmet. He was ALWAYS safe. Also, according to the person that followed him (who I cant contact because his phone has been off since the accident), they weren't speeding.

I'll truly miss him. RIP.

Also, what does "fail to negotiate the turn" REALLY mean?

 

RIP

my condolences to friends and family. sorry for your loss

 

it means he didnt make the turn right. wasnt leaning properly, either he was going to fast into the corner (doesnt mean he was speeding) or cut it to sharp. he then was highsided (thrown over the bike) into the construction site.

rip rider. very sad there to many of these damn things now.

 

Thank you for explanation. I plan on going to crash site tomorrow just to see and try and run the scenarios through my head... see if there's any tire marks from him locking it up or anything. Most of it will probably be cleared since this is the 2nd day now... but, that's what I get for being in Pittsburgh. Terrible to get that phone call.

 

im really sorry to hear about that, i know how it is getting a phone call. but since u said he hit a curb it does sound like he took the turn to wide going into the curve to fast and thats when he hit

 

"fail to negotiate the turn" could mean there was a car driver that cut him off and he responded violently.


It could mean a temporary blackout from low blood sugar. It could mean too little sleep the night before, and a temporary doze out.

It could mean a neurological condition that kicked in at that point.

unfortuantely, these types of wrecks dont warrant an autopsy.

I remember reading about an older man that got killed riding late at night on his cruiser. He went straight instead of around the corner. Turned out he had a heart condition that nobody (including himself) knew about.

Another story involved a younger kid, that appeared to wreck out of no where, for no reason. On a completely straight road. There was a good chance there was another vehicle involved.

 

Sorry to hear about your friend. Condolences and RIP.

 

I think you should just morn you lost friend. I mean nothing is going to change if you do find out how it did happen. With accidents anything is possible and you might not find out what exactly happened and you will still be left wondering.


God Speed and sorry for the lost!

 

RIP Rider....

 

I just registered so that I could post in this thread to you as I can provide answers to any of your questions. PM me and I can give you my number if you need more information and would like to call me...my name is Ryan. I was very close with Larry and his brother Dustin is one of my closest friends. I spent the entire day from that dreadful morning till Sunday night at Larry's house with his family...talk about a painful day. This is the second child his mother has now lost...no mother should have to go through what I saw her go through.

I know it sucks to be uninformed so I'll try to answer all of your questions. I was lucky enough to spend his last 2 nights on the earth with him. This past Saturday night, I was with him at The Kennedy. It was crazy packed all night, and clean up took a long time...then he hung out after work with the fellas. Believe it or not, alcohol wasn't involved.

Larry and and a buddy left around 5:30 with his buddy following him in his car. They never go that way to get to the highway either. They were going East on Kennedy...and right before the fork, Larry's bike got the wobbles and he lost control and died on impact when he hit the stone wall.

I could go on and on about Larry right now as I could never say enough about him. He was truely one of the best people I knew!

Tonight, we're raising money for his family at Cheap (on S. Howard) and will be asking for a $20 donation. Alex is organizing it (I assume you know Alex if you worked at the Kennedy...in fact you probably know me too) and he is either going to have specials for everyone or perhaps make everything complimentary after making your donation.

Visitation for Larry is Wednesday, 6-8shared_pm at Marsicano Funeral Home at 4040 Henderson Blvd. The funeral is Thursday at 9:30am at Sacred Heart in downtown Tampa.

I may be new here, but I'm not new to forums. As the threadstarter said, please be respectful!

He was loved. He still is. He always will be. I miss him like hell. I love you Larry, R.I.P.