Jacksonville, FL — Police identified John Leone as the motorcyclist who was injured in a hit-and-run accident in Jacksonville, Florida, on Thursday, April 9, 2015. The accident took place on Gate Parkway W, in front of the entrance to the Thornton Park Luxury Apartments, around 10:45 at night.
Reports say that the 19-year-old Leone was traveling east on Gate Parkway when a vehicle being driven by 33-year-old Matthew Frye tuned left in front of him. Leone suffered critical injuries in the accident and was taken to University of Florida Health Jacksonville.
Police arrested Frye after he left the scene of the accident. News sources learned that Frye has previous DUI offenses as well as a DUI arrest, and is also a registered sex offender. He was arrested for rape in 2008.
Police say that Frye told his girlfriend — whom he was driving with — not to check on the motorcyclist after the crash because the two had been drinking.
The accident is currently under investigation.
Scene of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary
It doesn’t happen often, but every now and then a driver has legitimate excuse for leaving the scene of an accident. There are times — and again, they’re few and far between — in which a driver just doesn’t know that they’ve hit someone. This isn’t one of those time. Police smelled alcohol on the man. He reportedly told his girlfriend that they shouldn’t check on the motorcyclist because they had been drinking. And he has gotten into trouble for DUI-related offenses in the past. All of these things taken together paint a pretty damning picture of the person responsible for this. Hopefully, this man is held accountable for what he’s done. Given his history, I have to wonder how long it’ll be before something like this happens again.
— Grossman Law Offices
