A Lake Wales woman was killed riding her e-bike home from work on June 23 near Babson Park.
Polk County deputies responded to reports of a fatal crash the evening of June 23 near Babson Park.
Rosa Lee Watson, 56, of Lake Wales died after being hit from behind while riding an electric bicycle west on Scenic Highway/State Road 17 east of West Loop Road, according to the Sheriff’s Office. She was traveling from work to her home, approximately 15 miles apart.
Watson was hit by a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee TrackHawk driven by 30-year-old Osvaldo Hernandez of Lake Wales. Hernandez was not injured. He stayed at the scene and cooperated with the investigation, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies determined the ebike was two to three feet away from the edge of the road when it was struck by the Jeep, which was also traveling west.
Watson was not wearing a helmet, but was wearing an orange reflective vest at the time of the collision. Her bike did have front and back lights. Because of the damage, the Sheriff’s Office said it could not be determined if the bike’s lights were on at the time of the crash.
Hernandez said he did not see the bicycle’s lights prior to impact.
Scenic Highway was closed in both directions for approximately three hours. There are no criminal or civil charges anticipated at this time, but the investigation remains open.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lake Wales woman killed in ebike accident near Babson Park
Reporting by Sara-Megan Walsh, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sara-Megan Walsh, Lakeland Ledger | USA TODAY Network
