Bicyclist dies after crash with vehicle in Clearwater

CLEARWATER – A bicyclist died Tuesday morning after he was struck by a van, police said.

Willie P. Nelson, 52, of Clearwater was hit at Martin Luther King Drive and Lasalle Street by a GMC van about 9:45 a.m., police said. He was pronounced dead at Morton Plant Hospital at about 10:20 a.m.

Police say a preliminary investigation shows Nelson failed to yield to the van at the intersection. Nelson hit van head-on.

Nelson was not wearing a helmet, and the bike was equipped with a motorized kit. Investigators are trying to determine if the bike motor contributed to the crash.

Police say the van's driver, Lorenzo Hearns, 47, of Largo was cited for driving with a suspended license. Hearns was not cited for the crash because he had the right of way, police sdaid.