The man who died in a one-vehicle crash and fire early Saturday on West University Avenue was identified Monday.
GPD spokesman Graham Glover said Monday the driver was identified as George Harry Eckhardt, 51. He could not confirm where Eckhardt lived.
Around 2:14 a.m., a vehicle heading west at a fast speed hit a raised median near the 3200 block of University. It then went south, crashing into a wall approximately 4 feet high before ultimately wrapping around a traffic signal pole, according to a GPD press release.
The vehicle immediately caught on fire, and Eckhardt the vehicle s only occupant was killed as a result, it states.
Driver dead after fatal crash and fire on West University Avenue
gainesville.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gainesville.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Families Of UF Students Who Died In Pedestrian Crashes File Wrongful Death Suit
wuft.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wuft.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A handwritten note addressed to Sophia Lambert lies at the intersection where she was fatally injured by a skidding car. (Haleigh Donahue/WUFT News) Home/Law and public safety/Gainesville Community Calls For “Not One More” With Programs To Address Spike In Pedestrian Safety Issues
Gainesville Community Calls For “Not One More” With Programs To Address Spike In Pedestrian Safety Issues
By Haleigh Donahue
February 9, 2021
Gainesville residents are once again concerned about pedestrian safety, after three separate traffic incidents took the lives of three University of Florida students within one year.
On Jan. 27, 2020, Denise Griffiths was struck and killed by a vehicle while using a crosswalk on East University Avenue.
Law enforcement, community leaders demonstrate traffic safety
Mayor Lauren Poe and University Police Chief Linda Stump-Kurnick attended the presentation February 1, 2021 | 6:00am EST GPD officer on a motorcycle stops at the intersection of Buckman Drive and West University Avenue, where a car crash involving a UF student took place two weeks ago. Photo by Jiselle Lee | The Independent Florida Alligator
Following recent crashes involving the deaths of UF students, local law enforcement and city leaders conducted a pedestrian safety operation Jan. 29 along West University Avenue.
The operation, led by Gainesville Police Department, Alachua County Sheriff s Office and University Police Department, focused on