INDIAN HARBOUR BEACH, Fla. – A 45-year-old man was found dead in Brevard County after his motorized bicycle apparently struck a turtle during an overnight ride on a darkened street.
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The fatal accident was reported about 3:15 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Royal Palm Avenue and Sail Drive in Indian Harbour Beach.
Brevard County Fire Rescue crews and investigators were called to the beachside town after the body of David Kervin, 51, was found in the roadway near the motorized bike.
“He apparently suffered a head injury and was already deceased when we arrived,” said Don Walker, spokesman for Brevard County Fire Rescue. “It appeared he hit the turtle. He may have also been hit by another vehicle while lying injured."
Brevard deputies later said there was no evidence another vehicle was involved.
The turtle, described as a box turtle, survived the crash and managed to walk away with a minor injury. It was found nearby with a small crack on the bottom of its shell.
It was not immediately known if Kervin was wearing a helmet. Brevard County sheriff's deputies are conducting a traffic crash investigation. The Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and said his injuries were consistent with accidentally falling from a bicycle.
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Traffic investigators said such crashes involving turtles do happen, but they are rare.
"You see these kind of accidents very rarely. It's either a deer or bear when you hear of an animal involved in an accident," said Kim Montes, a spokeswoman with the Florida Highway Patrol.
Montes recalled a crash involving a turtle that was struck while attempting to cross a busy stretch of Interstate 4 in Volusia County.
"Somehow, the driver clipped the turtle at such an angle that it tossed the turtle into the windshield of another car," Montes said. "The troopers got there and pulled it out of the windshield and put it in a nearby body of water. It happens, but it's very rare."
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