LAKE WALES, Fla. — According to the Lake Wales Police Department (LWPD), a motorcyclist died Friday evening in Lake Wales after a head-on collision with a truck, which started a fire that engulfed two vehicles.
Police said the crash happened around 5:15 p.m. on Chalet Suzanne Road at the entrance to the WaWa gas station.
Investigators said a 2025 Kawasaki motorcycle was traveling eastbound when a westbound 2017 Ford F-150 driven by 20-year-old Gary Boyle of Arcadia attempted to turn left into the WaWa, crossing into the motorcycle’s path.
The collision caused the motorcycle to slide into a 2008 Dodge truck stopped at a nearby stop sign. Both the motorcycle and the Dodge became engulfed in flames, which Lake Wales firefighters quickly extinguished.
Despite life-saving efforts at the scene, the motorcyclist was pronounced dead.
This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call police.
How journalists battle the rise of AI fake news
As News Literacy Week kicks off in partnership with Scripps News, Tampa Bay 28 reporter Michael Paluska sat down with fact-checkers at PolitiFact to learn how they combat misinformation in the age of AI.
