A 26-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a hit-and-run collision with a pickup during the weekend, and the pickup driver was later arrested and charged with DUI manslaughter, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The crash happened just before 12:30 a.m. Saturday on Cypress Gardens Boulevard at Old Helena Road in Winter Haven. When sheriff’s deputies and Polk County Fire Rescue arrived, they found Reuben Goss, 26 of Winter Haven dead.
The Sheriff’s Office said Goss was driving a 2007 black Suzuki motorcycle south on Cypress Gardens Boulevard when a northbound, white GMC pickup attempted to turn left onto Old Helena Road in front of him. Goss was wearing a helmet, but the force of the crash ejected him from the motorcycle.
The pickup driver fled the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Office. But deputies found the truck unoccupied and parked behind a local pub about 600-feet away. The owner of the truck was identified as Wayne Berry, 38, of Winter Haven.
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