Lakeland, FL : A 24-year-old man died after he was thrown from his motorcycle when it slammed into a tree at 700 block of Carpenters Way On Sunday, May 1st, 2016

A 24-year-old man died early Sunday after he was thrown from his motorcycle when it slammed into a tree, said the Lakeland Police Department.

About 2:30 a.m., Walden was heading east in the 700 block of Carpenters Way on his 2011 Suzuki when for unknown reasons he swerved off the roadway and into a grassy area, said Gross.

He drove 65 feet through a ditch, struck a tree, throwing him from his Suzuki, Gross said. The Lakeland Fire Department and Polk County Fire Rescue performed life-saving efforts and took him to LRHMC where he died.

Gross said Walden was wearing a helmet and other protective gear.

The traffic homicide unit is investigating the accident to find out why Walden left the road, said Gross.

Walden's friends and family have been left devastated by the accident.

"He was always so smart about it (riding a motorcycle), that's why it has come as such a shock," said Walden's sister, Alyssa Walden.

"He definitely loved it, though; he loved riding so much," she said.

Alyssa Walden said her family is holding it together as best they can but that she and her two sisters, Michelle James and Sarah Walden, feel like they lost their best friend.

"We love him and are going to miss him so much," she said.

Walden is survived by his three sisters, two brothers, his mother, Beth Moore, and father, Mike Walden.

Walden, who was not married, was described as a "family man," who could put a smile on anyone's face no matter the mood they were in.
Source :
Lakeland man dies in motorcycle accident on Carpenters Way