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St. Pete Motorcyclist Dies After Popping Wheelie, Cops Say

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TBO.com Staff

Published: April 1, 2009

A 19-year-old St. Petersburg man died this morning, about an hour after he lost control of his motorcycle while popping a wheelie, St. Petersburg police said.

Shortly after midnight, Jairo Hernandez, of 3713 Kingston St. N., was riding his 2008 Suzuki motorcycle on 62nd Avenue North, police said. He stopped at the intersection at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street, but once the light turned green, Hernandez accelerated quickly and popped a wheelie, police said.

For 200 feet he kept the motorcycle's front wheel in the air but when he put the front wheel back down he lost control and struck a wooden utility pole about three blocks from where he began his stunt, police said.

Hernandez, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown from the motorcycle and landed in the street, police said. He was rushed to Bayfront Medical Center where he was pronounced dead about an hour after the wreck.

Toxicology tests are pending, police said.

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