Two Serious Accidents, One Fatal

The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office reports on two recent serious accidents, one in West Boca and another in West Delray. One involved a 3-wheeled motorcycle on US-441, and the other one was on SW 18th near Military Trail.

Rough location of 13000 State Road 7 (US-441) in Delray, just north of the Solid Waste facility and near Bob West Road. Image and map data by Google.

Jose Gomes of Lake Worth, age 61, lost control of his 2012 Can-Am Spyder while heading northbound on 441 on Sunday evening around 8 pm. PBSO Investigator Snelgrove described the accident:

V-1 was changing lanes erratically as it traveled northbound on State Road 7 in the 13000 block. As V-1 entered into the outside lane it began drifting toward the east shoulder of the roadway. V-1 left the roadway and entered into the grass shoulder. V-1 traveled northeast on the grass median and struck a guard rail with its front side. D-1 was ejected and landed in the grass median on his back facing northwest. V-1 struck the guardrail a second time and began rolling over several times. V-1 came to final rest inverted facing southeast. D-1was pronounced dead on scene due to injuries sustained during the collision. Next of Kin Has Been Notified.

There’s no indication in the report of any alcohol or drug involvement, and no further explanation as to why Gomes lost control. The report also does not say whether Gomes was wearing a helmet.

Pedestrian Christopher Michael Dion (44) was killed in an accident on SW 18th just east of Outback Steakhouse and Howard’s Market. According to Investigator Levey, 74-year-old David McKinnon (V1) was driving eastbound in the left lane when the collision happened. Dion was apparently walking in the roadway at 9:44 pm on Friday night.

Image we found of Chris Dion, superimposed on a sunset.

Vehicle 1 (V1) was eastbound on SW 18th St. in the outer lane.
Pedestrian 1 (P-1) was walking in the outside lane of SW 18th St.
As V-1 was in motion, V-1 impacted P-1 with the passenger side of its front end.
Due to the collision, P-1 impacted the windshield of V-1. P-1 was transported to Delray Medical Center with critical injuries.

It does not look like McKinnon received any tickets or will face any charges. As best we can tell from our research, Dion was homeless and living in Boca and Delray area. The accident report and other records we see indicate his address as “At Large”, which seems to be code for homeless.