TAMPA — Police have identified the motorcyclist who was killed and another who was seriously injured in a crash Saturday night on the Courtney Campbell Causeway.
Leilanie Jessica Ortiz, 26, and Justin Battiest, 27, were traveling west on Kawasaki motorcycles when they both crashed at 9:15 p.m., according to Tampa police.
The couple was headed back from International Plaza, where they'd had a date, Ortiz's older sister said.
Paramedics rushed Ortiz, of Tarpon Springs, to St. Joseph's Hospital, where she was declared dead. Battiest, of Holiday, was taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg.
Ortiz's sister said Ortiz had been riding motorcycles for at least five years, always with a helmet, always responsibly.
"She was not a reckless driver," said Chrisandra Ortiz, 34, of Holiday. "Speed may have been a factor, but she was not swerving in and out, she was more responsible than that. She rode purely for the love of the ride."
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash. Chrisandra Ortiz said her understanding is that her sister sped up, and Battiest caught up to her. Something hit his bike and caused him to go down, she said, and Ortiz swerved, but was thrown from her bike.
One of the motorcycles caught fire after the crash, damaging part of the road. The westbound portion of the bridge was closed overnight for repairs and has since been reopened.
Chrisandra Ortiz said paramedics tried to resuscitate her sister. Battiest, she said, was still in the hospital Sunday evening.
"I do want to make sure he knows that he is not to blame for this accident," she said.
Most knew Ortiz as Lanie, though the kids she worked with called her "Miss Lo."
She was one semester away from completing a bachelor's degree in social work, her sister said.
"She especially liked to work with special needs children, children who needed extra-special attention, whether it was coming from difficult backgrounds or needing a little extra help," Chrisandra Ortiz said.
She had been working at the Cops 'n Kids program in Tarpon Springs, assisting with an after-school program. In her spare time, she liked to travel around the state, go geocaching and ride.
The family is raising money on GoFundMe for a memorial service, Chrisandra Ortiz said.
"She was only 26," she said. "She was a baby."
Contact Claire McNeill at cmcneill@tampabay.com.