Photos for Headline Surfer / Dalphanite Johnson, who was known as 'Little D,' is shown above with his wife, Chantell Johnson and here at left. He was killed Monday while speeding on a Yamaha motorcycle and colliding with a car at a Daytona Beach intersection, according to a preliminary report from Daytona Beach police. He was 30 years old.DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- On July 8, Dalphanite Johnson wrote a single word on his Facebook page: "Life." Four months later he would be dead.
On Monday, the life of the the 30-year-old Daytona Beach man came to an end hours after he collided with a car while speeding on his Yamaha and zipping in and out of traffic, according to preliminary details released by Daytona Beach police.
A friend wrote of his fears of Johnson risking his life on a motorcycle in a remembrance that ran with a brief obituary online. Funeral arrangements and burial were not announced.
"I met Little D when I was working at Brake Express, Nova Road," William Wells, of Holly Hill, wrote on a Legacy remembrance on Friday. "I did mechanic work on his car. We bonded & became friends quickly. He was always respectful. The father asked me & my manager not to sell him a motorcycle so we didn't."
Wells continued, "About a month later, D came back to show me he purchased a motorcycle from somewhere else. "I told him to be careful. He told me ( thanks Mr. Will ) I will be careful. It's like his father knew & it hurts me so bad. Me & D got close. He came to visit me at my house a few months ago. I told him to be careful again. He told me he would. He was so nice & respectful. That's why it hurts so much. God bless my brother. You are in God's hands. Love you. See you when I get there in Heaven. "
That's the human side of this tragic story. Here's the news portion of the story:
A New Smyrna Beach motorist involved in a fatal traffic accident on Monday with a motorcyclist is expected to be charged with driving with a suspended license, Daytona Beach cops said.
Tyasha M. Whitaker, 26, could be summonsed by mail to answer a criminal charge of driving while her license was suspended, police said, stemming from the 7:16 a.m. fatal accident at the intersection of Nova Road and Madison Avenue, but added the case remains under investigation. Whitaker was behind the wheel of a 2011 Ford and Dalphanite Johnson, 30, of Daytona Beach, who was riding a Yamaha, died later that day from catastrophic injuries suffered in the early morning crash.
Here is a synopsis of what happened as described in a Daytona Beach Police news release: "Units were dispatched to Nova Road and Madison Avenue reference to a crash involving a motorcycle and vehicle. Investigation revealed that the motorcycle was heading southbound on Nova Road approaching Madison Avenue at a high rate of speed."
The police news release continued, "The vehicle involved was traveling northbound on Nova Road attempting to make a left turn onto Madison Avenue. The motorcycle cut between two vehicles as they were approaching the intersection. The motorcycle hit the front end of the vehicle making a left turn."
Johnson died of his injuries that afternoon at Halifax Health Hospital in Daytona Beach. Police did not indicate whether he was wearing a helmet. Whitaker also was transported to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
"The case will have criminal charges against the driver of the vehicle as her license is suspended, however no charges have been filed as this is an active ongoing investigation," Daytona Beach police stressed in the news release.
Dalphanite Johnson was married and worked as a residential driver for Waste Pro. It's not clear whether he had children, listing only his wife, Chantell Johnson, on his own Facebook page. Attempts by Headline Surfer to reach Chantell Johnson, shown with several small children on her own Facebook page, were unsuccessful. An obituary listing for him did not provide any personal information other than to state he was a resident of Daytona Beach, that he attended Mainland High School and his place of employment.
Friends of Dalphanite Johnson such as Angela Chiles of Daytona Beach were stunned by his tragic death. Reflecting how precious life is, she stated in part on her Facebook page, "I only can live one day at a time. Tomorrow is never promised."
Dalphanite Johnson, shown here from a screeen shot taken from his YouTube page, was married and worked as a residential driver for Waste Pro. It's not clear whether he had children, listing only his wife, Chantell Johnson, on his own Facebook page. Attempts by Headline Surfer to reach Chantell Johnson, shown with several small children on her own Facebook page, were unsuccessful. An obituary listing for him did not provide any personal information other than to state he was a resident of Daytona Beach, that he attended Mainland High School and his place of employment.
Friends of Dalphanite Johnson such as Angela Chiles of Daytona Beach were stunned by his tragic death. Reflecting how precious life is, she stated in part on her Facebook page, "I only can live one day at a time. Tomorrow is never promised."