A motorcyclist barely escaped with their life after a woman hit them with her car and then drove off, dragging the bike away.
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According to the West Melbourne Police Department, he motorcyclist, identified as John Powell sustained “life-threatening injuries” after he was knocked off his bike by a car in the early hours of last Sunday, Sept. 1, in West Melbourne, Florida.
The driver of the car that hit the motorcyclist was identified as a 23-year-old woman named Rebekah Makenzie Tate.
“Tate was traveling east on US 192 approaching Dairy R. When her vehicle crashed into a 34-year-old West Melbourne man riding a motorcycle,” the police department stated. “The force of the crash caused the motorcyclist’s helmet to come off, leaving him in the middle of the roadway with life-threatening injuries.”
The West Melbourne Police Department confirmed her arrest. “Instead of remaining on scene or calling 911, Tate can be seen driving away with the motorcycle still attached to the front of her vehicle.”
Surveillance footage then showed Tate pulling into a parking lot “in an attempt to hide” from the accident. The police department reported that she tried to “remove the motorcycle from underneath her vehicle.”
Tate who is a professional ballroom dancer, then made a phone call and was picked up by someone driving a black sedan, leaving her car behind. The woman was arrested while the motorcyclist remained in critical condition after the car crash.
Tate was arrested on Wednesday, Sept. 4, and taken to the Brevard County Jail with “no bond” status.
She has been charged with one count of leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury. She was also charged with two counts of attempting to destroy evidence.
A DoorDash Driver Helped the Motorcyclist After the Terrifying Accident
While speaking to FOX Orlando, DoorDash driver, Billy LeBlanc, stated he was making a late-night delivery when he discovered the motorcyclist in the middle of the road.
“I told the 911 dispatcher he was dead, I thought he was dead. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody,” LeBlanc stated. “But I’m glad I was there and was able to help him.”
LeBlanc was reportedly the first person to stop and help the motorcyclist. The DoorDash driver immediately called 911. “I thought I was going to start doing chest compressions,” he explained.
LeBlanc also said that he’s still trying to process what he saw. He also couldn’t believe someone responsible for the accident would leave the motorcyclist there to die.
“I’m glad they caught her,” he said about Tate.”That’s the main thing they got her.”