Sarasota Police continue investigating fatal August crash

Sarasota Police Department continues to investigate an August crash on Gulf of Mexico Drive that killed a New York truck driver. 

Genevieve Judge, a spokeswoman for the department, said the traffic homicide investigation is likely to continue into November. Police in late August said the investigation could take up to 90 days to complete. 

At around 8:45 p.m. on Aug. 28, Longboat Key first-responders were called to the 1400 block of GMD following the collision between a sport-utility vehicle and a tractor-trailer hauling automobiles. Truck driver  Krystof Troyanowski, 63, of Richmond Hill, New York died in the incident.  Longboat resident William Sikorski, 74, was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.

At the time, Lt. Robert Armstrong of SPD wrote in an email the investigation could last 30 to 90 days. "During that time, all of the evidence is examined, which will aid in the determination of a faulty party (if any)."

The crash was the second fatal incident on Gulf of Mexico Drive in 2019.  On April 22, a 67-year-old bicyclist from New York was killed when he crashed into the rear of a parked truck alongside Gulf of Mexico Drive. Sarasota Police, which also investigated that fatality, ruled in May both the cyclist and the truck's driver shared the  blame. The operator of the truck was cited for parking in the bicycle lane.