A veteran lawyer who spent his life fighting against helmet laws died in a motorcycle crash after failing to wear one.
Ron Smith, 66, was riding his bike along the U.S. 19 North in Pinellas County in Florida on August 20, when he started to slow down to let traffic through.
He began to lose control of his motorcycle and skid across the road whilst his bike rotated "in a clockwise motion, overturning onto its left side" and smashed into the wheel of a vehicle trailer.
Mr Smith was pronounced dead at the scene.
His girlfriend, Brenda Volpe, 62, was also on the motorcycle and quickly transferred to hospital but died just hours later.
A medical report confirmed the pair both died from a head trauma and revealed that neither of them were wearing a safety helmet.
It is not known if a helmet would have prevented their deaths, as Mr Smith's autopsy disclosed he suffered a blunt head trauma.
Eric Teoh, from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, told Tampa Bay Times it was "entirely possible" the pair might have survived if they were wearing a helmet but couldn't say for sure.
In addition, Mr Teoh believes had the motorcylists been wearing a protective helmet it could have "improved their odds" of survival.
Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson Steve Gaskins confirmed no one has been charged in the incident.
Mr Smith was a passionate and outspoken critic of Florida helmet laws and a member of the A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments and American Bikers Aimed Toward Education.
The group fought against helmet law for years as he represented dozens of clients who were caught falling the wrong side of the helmet law.
Mr Smith didn't like being told what to do, according to his friend Dave Newman, who confessed he believed everyone should be able to make their own choice.
“He thought everybody should have their own choice", Mr Newman told Tampa Bay Times.
He was credited by some for helping overturn Florida's helmet law as one of his cases went to the 2nd District Court of Appeal.
There, it was argued, the law was constitutional but the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles had failed to publish a list of protective equipment which was required by law.
The attorney's dream eventually became true when in 2000 Florida passed a law allowing motorcyclists over 21 to ride without a helmet - only if they had $10,000 (£8,600) in insurance cover for bike injuries.
A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said helmets help decrease the risk of death for cyclists by 37% and that for every 100 deaths, 41 could have been prevented if helmets were worn by motorcyclists.
In states where there are no helmet laws, 57% of motorcyclists died in 2020.
