The Lakeland community is in mourning following the tragic death of 21-year-old Blake Scott, who died in a motorcycle crash on Saturday, November 8, 2025. The incident occurred at approximately 11:04 a.m. on US Highway 98 South, near the 700 block.
According to the Lakeland Police Department, Scott was riding his red Kawasaki motorcycle northbound when he began lane splitting between two vehicles. In the process, his motorcycle first struck the passenger-side mirror of a silver Toyota driven by 61-year-old Lashaun Vernon of Port Saint Lucie. The motorcycle then veered into the outside lane, colliding with the rear of a grey Jeep driven by 24-year-old Kylie Russo of Lakeland. A passenger, 67-year-old Tanegho Smith, was in the Toyota at the time of the crash.
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Despite immediate life-saving efforts by emergency responders, including Lakeland Police, Polk County Fire Rescue, and the Lakeland Fire Department, Scott was transported to Lakeland Regional Health and later pronounced dead at 5:29 p.m.
Neither Vernon, Smith, nor Russo were injured in the crash, but the incident has deeply shaken the Lakeland community, leaving residents grieving the loss of a young life.
The Lakeland Police Department’s Traffic Homicide Unit has taken over the investigation. Authorities have urged anyone with information about the crash to contact Officer Travis Payne at Travis.Payne@lakelandgov.net
. The roadway was closed for about two hours as evidence was collected and documented.
As the investigation continues, the Lakeland community remembers Scott, whose life was tragically cut short.