18-year-old motorcyclist, SUV passenger killed in Bonita Springs crash

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. (WINK)—Two people died after a motorcycle collided with an SUV at the intersection of Imperial Parkway and East Terry Street on Sunday night.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 18-year-old Blake Barker from Fort Myers was riding a motorcycle at a high rate of speed in the inside lane of northbound Imperial Parkway, approaching the intersection of East Terry Street. A 65-year-old man from Bonita Springs was driving an SUV in the left turn lane of southbound Imperial Parkway, approaching the same intersection.

Both vehicles faced a solid green traffic control signal. The SUV driver made a left turn and entered the motorcycle's direct path.

The front of the motorcycle collided with the front-right side of the SUV. Barker became lodged within the front-right passenger side of the SUV.

Barker and a 55-year-old woman from Bonita Springs, who was a passenger in the SUV, were pronounced dead at the scene. The SUV driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Gulf Coast Medical Center.

Friends say Barker was the kind of person who brought energy into every room. Riding his motorcycle was more than a hobby. But that ride turned deadly. Pickard rushed to Barker's grandmother's house with friends after hearing the news.

"I didn't wanna believe it was true 'cause I, I mean, he was 18. So I called my other buddy, and he confirmed it. So I rushed over to his grandma's house with a bunch of our friends, and I stayed with her for a few hours," Pickard said.

The crash was so severe that troopers say both Barker and the 55-year-old passenger in the SUV were killed. Baine Dionne, another friend of Barker's, described the shock of receiving the news.

"He said it's, you know, it's Blake and Blake died, and just to get that news, like right when you wake up in the morning," Dionne said.

Neighbors say this stretch of road has been a concern, pointing to speeding, especially at night. Joaquin Murillo, a neighbor, witnessed the aftermath of the crash.

"There are a lot of accidents happening in there. I passed by last night, I saw a big accident in there, and I heard a lot of people coming and racing on that road," Murillo said.

As friends gather to remember Barker, they say their thoughts are with the other family involved, calling this a tragic accident that should never have happened. Dionne reflected on the pain felt by everyone affected.

"If I lost my grandson, brother, son, I don't even know. I wouldn't even know how to feel. But just as a friend, a close friend, it hurts as much as it does, and I just can't even put myself in their shoes," Dionne said.

The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.