A 20-year-old Gainesville man was killed early Saturday morning when he was hit by a car while crossing Southwest 13th Street on his scooter.
Matthew Taylor was turning north from Southwest 21st Avenue when he was hit by a northbound Mercedes sedan at about 2 a.m., according to Cpl. Tscharna Senn, spokeswoman for the Gainesville Police Department.
According to witness reports, Taylor and his scooter fell under the car, which eventually caught fire. Members of the Alachua County Fire Department, a security officer from Shands at UF and numerous GPD units arrived at the scene following several witness calls reporting the accident, Senn said. It is unknown whether Taylor was wearing a helmet.
Taylor was pronounced dead at the scene, and northbound traffic on Southwest 13th Street remained blocked until 6:45 a.m., she said.
Fault has yet to be determined, and the crash remains under investigation by GPD officers, Senn said.
Taylor described himself on Facebook as “a joker at heart … i give alot and will always back anyone up who needs it.” He said hard work made him who he was.
According to Facebook, Taylor worked as an assistant manager at Gator Domino’s and was looking forward to marrying his fiancée, Ashley Haire, whom he’d dated since November of 2006.
Taylor’s Facebook wall displays messages from friends, telling how he will be “infinitely missed.”
There will be a memorial service for Taylor on Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Williams-Thomas Funeral Home.
