Sad news.
A bicyclist was killed after being struck by a vehicle in the Naranja area of Miami.
The name of the deceased has not been released nor has the driver. The driver apparently hit the cyclist as they were crossing US-1/ S Dixie Hwy near southwest 260th street in Naranja which is a high traffic, busy commercial intersection.
The driver was eventually stopped by Miami Dade Police after fleeing from the scene and was taken into custody by Florida Highway Patrol officers.
Read more here at CBS 4 in Miami.
Florida averages more than 100 deaths per year from accidents where motorists hit riders of bicycles. And thousands of other bike riders are also injured each year by negligent motorists – with hundreds of those injuries being considered severe and life altering.
FloridaPhoenix.com reports that, “Florida has by far the highest per-capita bicyclist death rate in the country, and according to federal statistics cited by the Wall Street Journal, the state’s recent 10-year cyclist fatality rate of 6.2 deaths per 100,000 residents is 59% higher than the rate in Louisiana, the state with the second-highest level.
The worst region of the state for bicyclist deaths has been Tampa Bay. In fact, the Tampa-St. Petersburg region led the nation in 2016-2017, and three other Florida major metropolitan areas were right behind – with Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami taking the 2-4 slots, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”
Accidents occur for a variety of reasons, including:
- Failure to check for bicyclists before making a right turn
- Ignoring traffic signals such as pedestrian crosswalks, stop signs and stop lights
- Driver distractions such as texting or talking on a hand held phone while driving
- Reckless driving and speeding
- Driving while intoxicated
- Veering into the bike lane
With so many of today’s driver’s eating, texting or making phone calls while driving, we may continue to see increasing numbers of auto and bicycle related accidents.
The attorneys at Baron, Herskowitz, and Cohen have worked with injured cyclists and understand the grief and frustration of victims and their families. Our goal is to help provide legal answers that victims and family members have after these awful and unexpected tragedies occur.
