Lance Preston, former # 43 ..has passed away

Posted on Mon, Sep. 04, 2006

DAVIE
Motorcyclist dies in fall from ramp
A former FIU football player died on Sunday after he lost control of his motorcycle, hit a highway barrier wall and fell to his death.

BY DIANA MOSKOVITZ
dmoskovitz@MiamiHerald.com

AND ASHLEY FANTZ

Lance Preston loved football.

The 23-year-old from Hollywood played high school football, then became a linebacker for Florida International University.

He hoped to spend Labor Day barbecuing with friends and watching the Florida State Seminoles play the University of Miami Hurricanes tonight.

Instead, his friends gathered Sunday afternoon around the area near Florida's Turnpike and Interstate 595 where Preston lost control of his motorcycle, hit a concrete barrier and fell about 80 feet from the top of the ramp to his death.

Preston's friends and family gathered at the Davie crash site on Sunday afternoon, crying and hugging each other until his body was removed.

''This guy had a lot of people who cared a lot about him,'' friend Karl Bartels said, ``because he just really cared a lot about people. He just made so many friends.''

Preston was riding with several friends shortly before noon Sunday. He was going south in the outside lane of the exit ramp from the turnpike to I-595 when he lost control of his 2006 Suzuki, Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Roger Reyes said.

After hitting the barrier, the bike remained on the ramp. Preston was thrown from the Suzuki and fell to his death, landing in a barren field just east of the Everglades Mobile Home Park at 2900 SW 52nd Ave. in Davie.

Preston was wearing a helmet and a visor, according to FHP.

The Highway Patrol closed the exit from the southbound turnpike to I-595 from 11:45 a.m. until 2 p.m., Reyes said.

FHP is investigating the crash. Speeding may have been the cause, Reyes said.

But friend Karl Bartels said that didn't sound like Preston, whom he described as an experienced and cautious rider. Preston had been riding motorcycles for several years, he said.

''He was never reckless. He was always really careful and respectful of the bike. He never tried any tricks or anything dangerous,'' Bartels said.

Cousin Ronnie Preston said Lance Preston planned to visit his grandparents in the future.

''He was just a really outgoing person,'' Ronnie Preston said from his home in Lake City.

Bartels lived with Preston and another friend. Preston and the other friend went out on their bikes Sunday morning while Bartels stayed behind, he said.

At about 11:40 a.m., he got a call from his friend telling him Preston died.

Preston played linebacker at FIU as part of the university's first recruiting class, athletic director Rick Mello said. At one point, his teammates elected him captain, Mello said.

Preston made second team in 2003 in the NCAA 1-AA Independent All-Star honors.

He majored in construction management, Mello said. After graduation, he worked as a construction manager.

''If someone asked me to point out somebody who gave 100 percent every time, Lance would be near the top of the list every time,'' Mello said.