Lake Wales, Florida – On August 22, 2016 at approximately 10:52am Sabrina Stewart, a 45 year old Lake Wales resident, was traveling eastbound on SR60 in a 2015 Kia Cadenza. Stewart was traveling in the outside lane of SR60 near the intersection of Center St. She stated she looked to her left to see if it was safe to change lanes. When she looked back up she saw Albert Tillman, a 67 year old Lake Wales resident, pushing his bicycle on SR60 in her lane of travel. Stewart was not able make an evasive move prior to colliding into Tillman. The collision resulted in Tillman and his bicycle landing several yards from the point of impact.
The Lake Wales Police Department, Lake Wales Fire Department, and Polk County EMS responded to render aid and conduct the investigation. Lifesaving measures were not effective and Tillman was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Stewart’s vehicle received substantial damage but she was not injured. Members of the Lake Wales Police Department have notified Tillman’s family of his death.
SR60 eastbound traffic was diverted into a single lane of the westbound lanes of SR60. This allowed for one lane of traffic to continue to flow westbound and the other eastbound. This traffic pattern occurred between Center St and Marietta St for approximately 3 hours. There are no known witnesses to the crash and no video of the crash was located.
At this point in the investigation no charges have been filed. If anyone witnessed this crash they are asked to contact Detective Stephanie Goreck at (863) 678-4223 extension 269.
