Morning Crash Leaves Bicyclist Dead

A bicyclist from Largo was struck and killed by a van on an unlit stretch of Starkey Road early Saturday morning.

Gregory Gancarz, 55, was riding a bike in the northbound curb lane at 1299 Starkey Road around 4:48 a.m. when he was hit by a 1996 GMC van traveling in the same lane, according to a media release from the Largo Police Department.

The bike was not equipped with head or taillights, according to police, and there are no streetlights on that section of Starkey Road, according to the release.

Gancarz was pronounced dead at the scene by Fire Rescue. 

The van was driven by Lonnie Baumbach, 62, of Largo, according to the release. Speed does not appear to be a factor, but the investigation is continuing.