San Rensho 

Its hard to write this as I'm still somewhat rattled over what I witnessed this morning.

I live in Miami. This morning I was riding on the Rickenbacker Causeway, which is a favorite cycling route on the weekends for hundreds, if not thousands of cyclists. As I approach the Bear Cut bridge, which is two lanes in each direction, with a divider, and a fairly wide break down lane that doubles as a bike lane, I see a group of stopped cyclists waving to cars to move to the left hand lane. As I get closer, there is a cyclist on the right hand edge of the break down lane in a pool of blood, bright red arterial blood mixed with what looks like spinal fluid and some brain matter. He is bleeding out of his ears and mouth.

One or two other cyclists, one of whom is a paramedic are already helping him. He is breathing about 3 or 4 times a minute. They don't detect a pulse in his wrist. The police arrive shortly and they have a hand operted respirator which the paramedic starts to use as another person does chest compressions. It takes almost half an hour for the ambulance to come. I was told by other cyclists later he died at the scene. I salute the cyclist parmedic. He cooly took control of a chaotic scene and did everything he could to save this guys life but his injuries were too great.

The guy that hit him didn't stop, dragging the cyclists bicycle about five miles before it fell off. He was caught by police as he was arriving at his house. A group of us find out where the driver is and head out there. The car, a smaller VW, has the windshield broken and caved in a good ten inches. The windshield frame at the top is pushed back about 8 inches and there is even damage to the sunroof. Based on the damage, the driver had to be going 60mph+ in a 40-45 mph zone. I suspect that since the car hit the cyclist from behind, the back of the cyclists head hit the windshield frame which caused the fatal injury.

The driver is sitting in the back seat of one of the cop cars, but I can't see him because of the tinted windows. He's lucky the cops had him because there was an angry mob of cyclists that wanted revenge.

I just can't fathom how someone can hit another human being and just take off and leave the person on the side of the road like he had hit a dog.

GraysonPeddie

My god... My thoughts, condolences, and prayers go out to the cyclist and families for what had happen and I hope the cyclist will rest fairly in peace.

This will surely bring out a lot of tears for families of cyclist.

Be safe in the road, everyone.

hopefullywild

Holy ****. I don't have words.

San Rensho 

Just look at some of the comments that have been posted in Miami-Herald.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/miam...y/1430338.html

Yaniel

wow, i was on key biscayne this morning, but after the bridge was closed. i was hoping it wasnt another cyclist but when i got home i saw the herald article. like i said in my comment on the herald page, what kind of person drags a bike for 4 miles after hitting someone and not knowing or caring what condition they left them in. this is sick and i hope that person gets the worst of everything life has to offer.

ochizon

I got there once the road was blocked off, and had an inkling something bad had happened, but dear god, I had no idea it was of such a brutal nature. I was riding with Yani (posted just above me).

RIP to this rider...

Dchiefransom

Apparently, an average person in today's society. I would think that the driver had a good sight line for quite a distance in that area.

My condolences to his family.

Bikepacker67

Boy, that seegodbegood sonofabytch is in need of a real beatdown.

ausGeoff

Thank you for reporting this tragic incident so thoughtfully and with obvious compassion San Rensho. My thoughts are also with you too, as none of us should ever have to witness this sort of thing.

Accidents like this certainly make us — as vulnerable cyclists — more aware of just how tenuous our (perceived) immortality is. And yes; one sometimes wonders about the state of mind of those that surround us in public places. In my book, hit-and-run drivers in particular are the scum of the earth.

In Australia, we have an offense called "culpable driving causing death" which can carry a gaol sentence of many years. Let's hope they take that guy off the roads under a similar US law.

Take care guys.

San Rensho 

Thanks so much. I've witnessed some other gruesome car accidents, but this one really hit home.

Doohickie

From the article:

Four miles from the accident? It's pretty clear he fled the scene of the accident. This quote is probably the st00pidest two consecutive sentences a journalist could write.

San Rensho 

The windshield was so shattered, you could barely see out of it. He definitely fled.

crhilton

They could have removed a lot of stuff, but it does look like it's just "seekgoodbegood." The rest of the people seem pretty shocked that garbage lives in their midst.

GraysonPeddie

Who couldn't agree more with beesonic?

I know that's uncalled for but seriously, I agree with beesonic.

Update: Guys, seekgoodbegood is a troll. Don't let it get to you all.

Buddha4

+1 not sure how that doesn't automatically qualify as a hit and run; unless they figure if the victim is "with" the vehicle then the there's no issue.

CB HI

Regrets to the family.

Hope that the drivers gets a long jail sentence.

Terrible writing at the Miami Herald.

As to seekgoodbegood and comrades, by coming out of their holes and posting their hate for others to see does a service to cyclist. Most motorist would never believe cyclist stories about how much hate can exist towards them on the roads. seekgoodbegood has shocked many of those motorist into that realization.

dynodonn 

Goes to show that some motorists look upon cyclists as some deer in the road, I even got into a heated debate with someone on another forum about them having far more remorse in hitting one of "God's creatures" than a cyclist.

My thoughts are also with the cyclist and his family.

Kurt Erlenbach

+1,000,000

electrik

I'm sorry you had to witness that.

Don't read the newspaper comments, true ignorance.

Kurt Erlenbach

San Rensho notes that it took half an hour for an ambulance to arrive. Here is a comment from a poster n one of the Miami TV stations:

"my bike group, Colada, was the first to arrive to help the gentlemen that had been injured by the hit and run, I immeadiately called 911 at 8:04, I had to explain in detail what the Bear Cut Bridge was, then different members of our group continued to call 911 for 22 minutes while this poor victus was bleeding and suffering, the police offers explained that their was an issue of whether he ambulance should come from Village of Key Biscayne, The County of the City...all of these childish disputes were occuring while this man was dying..Maybe his life would have been saved if a Village of Key Biscayne Ambulace would have come to rescue him, they were only 5 minutes away and they never came. I am praying for this man's family and I hope the laws are changed so this tragedy never happens again."

So the delay was the result of a conflict between jurisdictions about who should send an ambulance. Pitiful

Chris516

I am so glad the guy was caught. Hopefully, The legal system will do more to him, than was done to the doctor in Los Angeles that purposely stopped in front of two cyclists, causing one to crash through the back window of his car.

AdamDZ

This is indeed horrible. I have no words for this. Condolences to his family. I'm glad I didn't witness anything like that. It won't bring his life back but I can only hope justice is served, but I have little trust in our "justice system".

Adam

Digital_Cowboy

One would think that logically that the emergency vehicle(s) should come from the agency that is physically closet to the scene.

I mean as we saw in this incident minutes count. Had the victim received medical care in a timely manner he might still be alive.

hairnet

this only makes me think of how I was hit, but I was lucky to come out relatively unharmed.

crhilton

It's not pitiful, it's sick and stupid. Seems like there's some need, in Florida, for the state to dispatch ambulances. The municipalities and counties are clearly not up to the job. I would accept 30 seconds of decision making on that, or even a minute, but anything more than that is ridiculous. What's the point of 911 and sirens if they take more than a minute to decide who goes?