Motorcycle missing after rider crashes
Posted October 21, 2005
ORLANDO -- A motorcycle remains missing five days after thieves stole it while paramedics treated its rider for life-threatening crash injuries.
It disappeared just minutes after an Orlando police officer saw the riderless sport bike skid across International Drive about 1 a.m. Sunday.
Almost 400 feet away, Sheila Vazquez-Simons lay south of the intersection in the middle of Kirkman Road.
She suffered massive head injuries after striking the pavement without wearing a helmet, police said.
Vazquez-Simons remained in critical condition Thursday evening at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Vazquez-Simons, 29, of Kissimmee crashed when she locked the motorcycle's rear brake and lost control at high speed.
She stayed on the sliding frame for 200 feet into its 600-foot slide, police said.
A large crowd of motorcyclists gathered within minutes at the crash scene known for late-night racing. None of those riders claimed to have seen anything or knew what happened, police said.
When an officer went back across International Drive to impound the wrecked motorcycle, someone had already loaded it onto a truck and fled, police said.