Bicyclist dies in car accident

Participating in Bike Florida event

A bike rider participating in the Bike Florida 2011 and Share the Road campaign ride through North Central Florida died after being hit by a car in Newberry on March 30.

Robert King, 65-year-old from Prescott, Az., was riding from Trenton to Newberry on SR 26 a half-mile east of NW 298^th Street when a 1999 Ford F-250 pickup truck driven by 23-year-old Newberry resident Brian Bunting drifted and hit him, according to a Florida Highway Patrol media release.

Leigh Matusick, president of Bike Florida, said it was the first fatality and first car-bicyclist accident in the event’s 18 years.

“We are all just devastated here in the Bike Florida family,” Matusick said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the King family.”

Before this accident, the worst accidents involving Bike Florida were cyclists running into each other or off the road and health issues, Matusick said.

“We really take pride in safety and visibility and sharing the road,” she said. “That’s our message - Florida has a law that bikers and drivers can share the road. People need to realize distracted driving is dangerous for everybody.”

Charges are pending against Bunting.