Miguel Angel Rocafort was taking an early morning bike ride, when a hit and run driver struck his bicycle sending him to Kendall Regional trauma center. Rocafort was treated for multiple fractures and other injuries. He was sent home from the hospital, and was told he would be able to resume normal life and even ride a bike again. However, the night after he was released, a pulmonary embolism caused him to have severe leg pain and he was taken to Baptist Hospital, where he eventually died.
According to the Miami Herald, TransitMiami.com has several reports which indicate that serious injuries to pedestrians and cyclists are very common throughout Miami Dade. Transit Miami writer Craig Chester refers to these incidents as a crisis in the arena of Public Safety which has gone under the radar. The city must do more to protect hostile motorists from endangering the lives of cyclists and pedestrians.
Often times, the drivers of hit and run car or bicycle accidents flee the scene because they know they did something terribly wrong, and are afraid of the consequences. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one out of every 5 pedestrian accidents which result in death, is due to a hit and run driver. Especially, in a metropolitan city like Miami where there are an abundance of unlicensed or illegal drivers, hit and runs are on the rise.
Due to the strict penalties associated with drinking and driving, people often flee the scene after causing an accident. These people realize, that if they buy themselves time, and are able to sober up, before they are located, the penalties will be much less. In reality, this is a serious loophole in the system that needs attention and a call to action.
Law enforcement needs to protect citizens from hit and run drivers through sobriety check points, public enforcement campaigns and using video surveillance on the roads. The number of hit and run accidents in the city of Miami is a growing phenomenon. Personal injury attorneys at Gerson & Schwartz have recovered damages in the millions for cases where a bicyclist, motorcyclist, or pedestrian was seriously or fatally injured, due to the negligence of a driver who did not obey the traffic laws, and fled the scene of an accident.
Contact the law offices of Gerson & Schwartz, PA today for a free consultation, (305)371-6000 info@gslawusa.com ,if you have been injured or if your family member has been the victim of a hit and run bicycle or automobile accident involving a fatality or wrongful death.
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