A bicyclist, age 73, was killed in a car crash on Highway 98 on Oct. 29 around 10 a.m. According to a representative of the Florida Highway Patrol, an investigation into the possibility of vehicular homicide is ongoing.
The bicyclist was riding west near State Road 87 along the paved shoulder of the roadway when a pickup truck driver veered onto the shoulder and struck the bike. According to police reports, the driver continued west and ran over the bicyclist. His vehicle stopped after proceeding through a ditch and hitting a tree in a wooded area.
Police arrived at the site after multiple calls alerted them to the accident. The bicyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. The pickup truck driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to Gulf Breeze Hospital for treatment.
Bicyclists are especially vulnerable to accidents due to their lack of physical protection. Drivers have the responsibility of being alert for bicyclists. If this duty of care is abandoned, serious injury or death may result. Distracted driving is considered negligent behavior and makes a driver liable.
The family of an individual killed in a car accident may experience financial distress along with emotional grief due to end-of-life expenses such as funeral and burial costs and the loss of support the decedent may have contributed toward household bills. The family may file a personal injury suit on behalf of the deceased for conscious pain and suffering he or she may have experienced. An attorney may help the family by reviewing all pertinent accident data and, if warranted, file a wrongful death suit against the driver.
Source: nwfdailynews.com, “Update: Truck hits, kills 73-year-old cyclist on 98”, Trista Pruett, October 29, 2014
