Motorcyclist crashes into SUV back window

TAMPA — The first time the driver or passenger of the 2003 Toyota SUV saw Arius Fayson, it was already too late.

Fayson, 31, of Tampa crashed his 2007 Honda motorcycle into the back of the SUV about 10:45 p.m. Saturday and died early Sunday, according to Florida Highway Patrol reports.

State troopers said he was speeding up Interstate 75 north near the Fletcher Avenue exit when he tried to get ahead of two parallel vehicles on the two-lane road. He did get ahead of them — by driving between them — but then slammed into a third vehicle, the SUV, as its driver was changing lanes.

"It was like an explosion," said Angela Delgado, 29, the SUV's passenger. "Glass was flying at us and at that point I just closed my eyes because I knew (my life) was over."

But Delgado and her fiance, Robert Hudson Jr., 36, survived their encounter with the speeding motorcyclist who struck the SUV with enough force to lodge the bike in its rear window.

The couple was on the way home to Lutz from a wedding in Orlando when Hudson began to move from the right to left lane on I-75.

"All of a sudden he said, 'Oh my God,' and then a bright flash," recalled Delgado, a reporter for the Tampa Tribune.

With her eyes closed, she said she felt the car easing off the road into the grass. "Thankfully Robert didn't slam on the brakes because there were so many other cars around us," she said.

Hudson jumped out of the car and called the police, yelling that he thought he had been involved in a fatal accident. Delgado remained in the car not knowing that several feet behind her, Fayson was still trapped between the motorcycle and the SUV.

"When the police arrived, I heard one of the witnesses scream, 'He's alive. He's alive. He's moving,'" Delgado said.

She got out of the car when the paramedics arrived. Fayson wore a helmet, she remembered, and she was thankful for that fact at the time.

"He was still alive when they placed him on the stretcher and took him away," Delgado said.

Sgt. Steve Gaskins of the Florida Highway Patrol said Fayson was taken to Tampa General Hospital where he died two hours later.

"His motorcycle was just a white light shooting at us," Delgado said. "Maybe if he had been going at a normal speed it would all be different."

Comments on this article

by scott	Jul 2, 2008 6:43 PM
9:30 am Scott (not me without question) That comment about "It's legal in some states".... You have no clue at all~ NOT LEGAL ON ANY GOVERNED ROADWAY IN THE USA. NOT IN ANY STATE! OMGoodness

by joseph	Jul 2, 2008 5:51 PM
cars speed all the time also which is why it's important to LOOK before you switch lanes! Whether they are speeding or not, cutting people off is RUDE and DANGEROUS!

by unsure	Jul 2, 2008 5:51 PM
is that true- that you do not have to have insurance for motorcycle?

by kayanne	Jul 2, 2008 5:10 PM
Bev, This was an accident that took a young life. Sad you would refer to darwin award. Must be lonely being you.

by Sandy	Jul 2, 2008 4:30 PM
Unfortunately, this was no kid. At 31, he's old enough to know better. I have always loved riding, but this is a very dangerous place to ride if you are following the rules. These guys that insist on speeding and weaving ruin it for everyone.

by Bev	Jul 1, 2008 10:31 PM
You can't fix stupid. This guy's family can't blame anyone but him. It was his own reckless driving that caused his death; no one's fault but his own. Sad really that these kids on crotch rockets are so stupid. Darwin wins another round.

by Jocephus	Jul 1, 2008 7:18 PM
There would be less motorcycle accidents if the riders would just slow down. I've turned left in front of several and almost crashed, because they were going so fast that I misjudged my clearance to turn. Such accidents aren't always the car's fault.

by Faye	Jul 1, 2008 5:14 PM
It's the young kids on the fast race rockets that don't see the danger in going 100 miles a hour on a bike. A real bike enjoys the ride and knows no time. Maybe we should ask the race rocket manfactures "why build a bike that will go that fast.

by John	Jul 1, 2008 5:11 PM
In the state of Florida a motorcyclist does not have to carry insurance. WHY because 99% of the time some moron who shouldn't be driving a car causes the accident. So talk on your cell phone while driving your SUV and then live with Killing someone!

by Carolyn	Jul 1, 2008 5:02 PM
He nearly hit my sister and brother-in-law as they were coming home from the Toby Keith concert, made my sister go off the road, because she thought she was going to get hit, then no more the 5 minutes later, my sister drove pass the accident.

by Heather	Jul 1, 2008 4:44 PM
drivers and especially their respect for life. Someone mentioned something to me the other day that made me think for a minute...In Florida you don't have to wear a helmet BUT you'll get ticketed if you don't wear a seatbelt, wheres the logic in this

by Heather	Jul 1, 2008 4:44 PM
People keep talking about having a respect for motorcyclists on the road. And I absolutly do have one, in fact i'm on edge everytime I have a motorcycle around me. But at the same time I haven't seen anyone mention a motorcyclists respect for other

by Chris	Jul 1, 2008 4:42 PM
Motorcycles are everywhere, in this case and many others, these reckless motorcycle drives got what they deserve. A life sentence for traumatizing other peoples lives.

by Jason A.	Jul 1, 2008 4:39 PM
Motorcyclists are always complaining that motorists do not look out for them. I wonder what percentage of fatalities are attributed to their own fault? Not wearing helmets? Speeding? driving wreckless? This is sad no matter who's fault it is.

by LDH	Jul 1, 2008 4:38 PM
Why do some motorcyclists drive like this? I see it all the time and it's frustrated because if they want to risk their life is one thing but they are risking everyone around them as well. Just plain stupid!

by Lisa	Jul 1, 2008 4:35 PM
Take note crotch rocket enthusiasts. They drive like this all of the time and put us all at risk. Look twice, save a life? How about slow your bike down and obey the speed limits.

by John	Jul 1, 2008 4:35 PM
"Gaskins said it appeared the motorcyclist was at fault in the crash." The moment he drove BETWEEN two vehicles he was at fault. This is all too typical of some of these motorcycle drivers. The drive like nuts.

by Another Look	Jul 1, 2008 4:20 PM
No justification for the biker, but I wonder if the vehicle he crashed into was making one of those stealth, totally unnecessary lane changes that Floridians love and which he failed to predict or allow for, and the vehicle pulled into his way.

by Robert	Jul 1, 2008 1:51 PM
Sorry to hear that he died but to all you motorcycle riders: YOU DO NOT OWN THE ROAD! You put our lives in danger too when you drive how you darn well please. DON'T BECOME A STATISTIC!!!

by Charlie	Jul 1, 2008 1:50 PM
Riders like this give motorcyclists a bad name. I would encourage anyone considering buying a motorcycle to save money on gas to take the MRA weekend education course offered in Tampa and Lakeland. Learn to ride the right way!

by Pasco Mom	Jul 1, 2008 1:50 PM
Mr Fayson was in a hurry to get somehwere. He got somewhere fast, alright. Remember riders, there's no hurry worth your life. RIP Mr Fayson.

by JH	Jul 1, 2008 11:41 AM
Another dumb a$$ on a motorcycle. Thank God he was on a motorcycle, at least the people in the SUV weren't hurt because of his lack intellegence.

by James	Jul 1, 2008 11:39 AM
Safe to do where legally permitted, at sensible speed, where all drivers are paying attention and using turn signals. Very sad for all involved.

by jim	Jul 1, 2008 11:23 AM
this is a big problem in the bay area terrible drivers speeding for what? look what happens.these motorcyclists think because they have a motorcycle they can weve in and out and do whatever they want

by Marc	Jul 1, 2008 9:31 AM
I was there, I saw it...I was running cruise control to save gas at 70MPH, the SUV passed me doing about 78-80...the motorcycle passed me doing about 120-130mph. The I got stuck in traffic for 1.5 hours while they extricated the cadaver from the SUV

by Scott	Jul 1, 2008 9:30 AM
That's why you don't pass between two parallel vehicles. It's legal in some states but also extremely deadly. Experienced cyclists know not to do this.