UPDATE: Three crashes reported on GMD

The operator of a scooter was seriously injured in one of three crashes that occurred shortly before 10 a.m. on Gulf of Mexico Drive.

The first crash occurred at the intersection of Outrigger Lane and Gulf of Mexico Drive in the Country Club Shores neighborhood.

A Longboat Key Public Works employee operating a town vehicle and the driver of a second vehicle behind him stopped for a pedestrian, but a third vehicle failed to stop and crashed into the vehicle in front of him, causing that vehicle to crash into the Public Works vehicle.

The middle driver suffered minor injuries but refused treatment at the scene.

As traffic on Gulf of Mexico Drive snarled, the scooter operator attempted to bypass traffic in a bicycle lane. Motorists who were stuck in traffic made space for the driver of an SUV to turn into Schooner Lane, also in Country Club Shores. The scooter operator didn’t see the vehicle and struck the SUV. He was thrown from the scooter onto nearby grass, and the scooter was lodged under the SUV.

He was taken to Blake Medical Center, in Bradenton, with serious injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening.

In the third crash, a Sarasota police officer responded to the scene to determine whether Longboat Key police were in need of assistance. When he learned that they didn’t need extra help, he attempted to turn his vehicle around — but accidentally struck a street sign.

The bumper of the vehicle was torn off, but there were no injuries.

“Maybe just injuries to the ego of the officer,” said Longboat Key Police Chief Pete Cumming, who estimated that all traffic lanes re-opened by 10:30 a.m.

Names of the individuals involved in the crashes weren’t immediately available.

Earlier: Traffic is currently at a standstill on Gulf of Mexico Drive as police and firefighters respond to two separate crashes in the Country Club Shores area.

One crash at Schooner Lane involved a scooter and SUV. The scooter operator appears to have injuries, according to Longboat Key Police Chief Pete Cumming.

The other crash near Outrigger Lane involved two vehicles. At least one person appears to be injured, according to Cumming.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].