Bicyclist dies in hospital day after collision with garbage truck

NEW PORT RICHEY — A man who was hit by a garbage truck on Friday while bicycling in New Port Richey has died from his injuries, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The bicyclist’s identity is still unknown, agency spokesman Sgt. Steve Gaskins said in a news release Sunday. The Pasco County hospital that was treating the cyclist contacted the Florida Highway Patrol around 11 p.m. Saturday to report he had died from his injuries.

According to state troopers, the cyclist was injured about 12:40 p.m. Friday while riding his bicycle south on the sidewalk bordering the northbound lanes of Little Road.

A 41-year-old garbage truck driver was traveling west on Ridge Road as the cyclist neared the intersection. When the garbage truck attempted to make a left turn on to Little Road, the front of the vehicle hit the cyclist, troopers said, causing critical injuries.

The Highway Patrol did not release the name of the garbage truck driver or the company he worked for because of its interpretation of Marsy’s Law, a constitutional amendment passed by Florida voters in 2018. The new law is meant to protect crime victims but deprives the public of information that had long been made available under state public records laws.