A deadly motorcycle crash caused a major traffic jam on the Howard Frankland Bridge Sunday morning.
The crash happened just before 3 a.m. in the southbound lanes of the bridge near the center hump.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers say 31-year-old Gregory Allen Kubitz of Palmetto was on a Yamaha motorcycle behind a Dodge pickup truck that was pulling a trailer with three ATVs. According to the FHP crash report, the motorcyclist tried to pass the truck “at a high rate of speed” but hit the trailer of ATVs.
A second motorcyclist, identified as 21-year-old David Matute-Sorto, was also headed south on the bridge when he hit the debris from the initial crash.
The 31-year-old man on the Yamaha was rushed to Bayfront Medical Center where he later died from his injuries. Troopers have not released his name yet because they are still notifying family members.
Matute-Sorto was treated at the scene for minor injuries. The 21-year-old pickup truck driver was not injured.
The southbound lanes of the bridge heading into St. Petersburg from Tampa were backed up for several hours after the crash. They finally reopened around 8:30 a.m.
