Clearwater Paramedic Killed in Motorcycle Accident

Updated on October 16, 2023

On Monday, July 8 2013 a tragic motorcycle accident in Clearwater left a Sunstar paramedic dead. 33-year-old Chris Jennings was killed when his motorcycle crashed at the intersection of Keene Road and Gulf to Bay Blvd.

According to Clearwater Police reports and various news outlets, Jennings was riding northbound on Keene Road on his 2008 Suzuki motorcycle. Witnesses told police he sped past traffic on the left as cars were slowing down for a changing traffic signal. As he entered the intersection, he collided with a 2001 Chevy Suburban SUV that was waiting to turn left from the southbound turning lane. The driver of the SUV, 37-year-old Inez Ledford of Pinellas Park, was uninjured. Jennings was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Officials did not specify whether Jennings was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

Jennings was off-duty during the accident, but worked as a first responder and answered some of the area’s high-profile calls. In April, he responded to the residence of Ireland Nugent who was accidentally run over by a riding lawn mower in Palm Harbor.

In an interview with WFLA Tampa, Sunstar’s director of communications, Rob Smith, explained how Jennings had worked with Sunstar for four years. Jennings was an assistant supervisor paramedic and also served as a SWAT paramedic in support of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

“He was an outstanding employee,” said Smith, “He loved being a part of EMS.”