A Villager riding a bicycle was struck and killed by a golf cart in 2023.
Phil Martin, 80, of the Village of Charlotte was on his way to a Sumter Landing Bicycle Club ride in March at the Bradenton Recreation Center.
He had been westbound on Hillsborough Trail on his bicycle in the multi-modal lane at 8:25 a.m. when a 69-year-old woman from Rochester, N.Y. was traveling eastbound in a golf cart on Hillsborough Trail, according to an accident report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
The golf cart driver was attempting to make a left turn at the intersection of Ichabod Way, but was unable to see Martin due to the glare of the early morning sun. She turned into his path and his bicycle struck the right front portion of the golf cart. Martin was thrown to the roadway, suffering serious injuries. He was transported to an area hospital where he died from injuries suffered in the collision.
The Sumter Landing Bicycle Club described him as a “good friend and respected club member.”
Martin and his wife Jeanne would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on April 20, 2023. They raised their family primarily in Titusville, Pa.; Fairport, N.Y.; and Hudson, Ohio before moving to The Villages 11 years ago.
Martin enjoyed many sports in his high school and college days and continued playing pick-up basketball long after his knees said he shouldn’t. He found cycling when all three of his kids started in 2004-05. He also enjoyed golf and pickleball in The Villages with his friends. Because both of his parents lived into their late nineties, he and his family assumed he would be cycling for many more years.
