Published Thursday, August 4, 2005
Motorcycle Crash Kills Lakeland Teen
Lakeland police Officer Lavon Hughes, left, and Sgt. Hans Lehman inspect a "super sport" Yamaha motorcycle that was involved in a fatal crash on Cleveland Heights Boulevard early Wednesday. RICK RUNION/The Ledger
By Gabrielle Finley
The Ledger
LAKELAND -- An 18-year-old man died early Wednesday after being thrown from his speeding motorcycle.
Jeffrey Klapatch's Yamaha motorbike tore down Cleveland Heights Boulevard, reaching speeds of 100 mph, when he missed a curve, flew over a median and hit a curb about 2 a.m., according to a Lakeland police report.
Klapatch was thrown into a tree; the motorbike slammed into another tree and exploded near Glendale Street, the report said.
Klapatch, of 6007 Jonjay Way, Lakeland, was declared dead at the scene of the crash, the report said.
Efforts to contact Klapatch's family were not successful.
Motorcycles, which have long held a cultural mystique, are increasingly becoming deadly weapons in the hands of young , inexperienced, riders who throw rules of safety to the wind, said Phil Hollen, a sales representative for Sky PowerSports in Lakeland. Klapatch was driving nearly 70 mph more than the 35 mph speed limit, the report said.
"This was a tragic, senseless accident caused by driver negligence," said Lakeland police spokesman Jack Gillen.
The teenager's Yamaha was a "super sport" bike, a favorite among young riders, able to reach 170 mph to 180 mph, Hollen said.
"How fast will it go?" is often the first question a young customer asks, Hollen said.
Sky PowerSports sales people are instructed to deter kids or first-time riders from buying "super sport" bikes, said Manager Kevin Neff.
"We don't, what I call, give a kid a loaded gun," Neff said.
But eager, young customers quickly fall in love with "super sport" bikes, finance them, then ride the bikes before they buy insurance or learn how to ride, said Cindy Derringer, an agent at Motorcycle Riders Association Inc.
MRA sells motorcycle insurance and teaches new bike buyers how to ride in an 18-hour, weekend course.
Klapatch took training courses at MRA on May 6-8, Derringer said. But most riders younger than 21 don't take the mandatory safety course, Derringer said.
Only 20 percent of MRA's students are 21 and younger.
Those who learn safety rules might not follow them.
"We teach them everything we can. But kids . . . sometimes they don't listen," Derringer said.
After the course, riders take a card to the Department of Motor Vehicles, where "Motorcycle Also" is put on their license, meaning they are certified to ride their bikes, Derringer said.
"Unfortunately, there's a lot of (young riders) that have no license."
Neff said he has unsuccessfully recommended legislation requiring riders to take motorcycle classes before they buy a bike.
Police are still investigating the crash and determining whether Klapatch was intoxicated while riding, the report said.
"We urge all Lakeland and Polk County drivers to drive responsibly," Gillen said.
Klapatch was the 13th traffic fatality in Lakeland so far this year.