Trainer Coty Lee Davidson, 33, was killed and jockey Megan Fadlovich, 30, was injured in a single-vehicle accident on I-75S at County Road 329 in Florida just after midnight Feb. 14, Gainesville.com reported. Neither were wearing seatbelts.
The vehicle suddenly veered off the road and overturned, ejecting Fadlovich from the passenger seat and over a guardrail. She fell 40 feet onto another guardrail on CR 329. She was taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center and is in serious conditioner.
Davidson, the driver, got out of the vehicle to check on Fadlovich and fell over the overpass onto the CR 329 shoulder, where he passed away.
Originally from Los Angeles, California, Davidson took out his trainer's license in 2011 and has 18 wins to his credit from 168 starts. The majority of his starts came in 2018 and 2019, including a second-place effort by Mr. Chocolate Chip in the 2018 GIII Bashford Manor S. at Churchill Downs. Davidson was also well known for his talent starting 2-year-olds and had been spending the winter months doing so in Ocala in recent years.
A jockey since 2010, Fadlovich had recently earned her milestone 500th win. She currently has 502 wins in 4,457 starts as a jockey and was preparing to saddle her first horse as a trainer Saturday, Mr Wrench It (Lookin at Lucky), in the seventh race at Tampa Bay Downs.
The couple had been dating since the summer of 2019 and notched several victories together on the Ohio-West Virginia circuit. They were currently based at Classic Mile Training Center in Ocala, Florida for the winter, where they had horses of racing age and a string of 2-year-olds they were breaking.
Davidson leaves behind a daughter from a previous relationship. Funeral arrangements are pending. Fadlovich is listed in serious condition at Ocala Regional Medical Center.
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