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Officers Escorting Harley Dealer Funeral Collide

By Eddie Farah

The irony is pretty amazing. Six officers on motorcycles, escorting a funeral for the late motorcycle dealer, Bruce Rossmeyer in Ormond Beach, Florida, Tuesday, were involved in a crash.

The officers, from various agencies, were riding along with the funeral party when the lead rider slowed down. The others behind him did not and that caused a chain reaction crash involving six motorcycles at the corners of North Halifax Drive and Granada Boulevard. They represented the police and fire departments of Daytona Beach, as well as the Ormond Beach and Port Orange police departments.

Rossmeyer was one of the largest Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealers in the country. He died last week in Wyoming on his way to a motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. He passed a truck pulling a trailer on the left just as the truck was making a left turn. The driver didn't see Rossmeyer, 66, and turned into him. Rossmeyer died instantly.

The officers were wearing their helmets and sustained minor injuries. Two of the officers were hurt, though not seriously and they damaged their motorcycle

Rossmeyer was not wearing his helmet when he died.

He more than anyone else, put Daytona Beach on the map as the Harley-Davidson center of the country, along with the image of freedom taking to the road.

Part of that freedom means freedom from helmets. Helmets are not required in Florida unless you do not have enough medical insurance, or you are under the age of 21. Adults can do what they want. In Florida, about half of riders do not wear a helmet.

In 2000, when Florida decided to repeal its mandatory helmet law, there were 933 motorcyclists killed in the state. After that time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that motorcycle deaths tripled.

Besides his charitable work helping children, Rossmeyer became one of the nation's largest Harley dealers with 15 dealerships in Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Rossmeyer also co-owned three car dealerships and a complex in Daytona Beach that includes shops and restaurants which employed about 500.

His family says his name will remain on his 15 Harley dealership.

Our condolences go out to the Rossmeyer family as well as our wishes for the speedy recovery of the officers involved in the mishap. My heart goes out to his family. He will be greatly missed by many. #

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Full post as published by Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer on August 08, 2009 (boomark / email).