A minor is facing criminal charges after a 54-year-old bicyclist was killed in a crash on Friday night, according to Miami police.
The crash happened on the Rickenbacker Causeway, the bridge connecting the island of Key Biscayne to the mainland, around 8:20 p.m. The bicyclist who was killed was identified in reporting from The Miami Herald as Fabian Moses.
Both Moses and the minor were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment. Moses later died from his injuries, and the minor was treated for facial injuries.
Additional details, including the minor’s age, were not immediately available Monday morning.
The investigation is ongoing, and police have not yet revealed what charges the minor will face.
The concern about dirt-bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters has been raised by board certified personal injury attorney Ira Leesfield, of Leesfield & Partners, for over a decade. As these micromobility devices become more popular and more accessible, the injuries have seemingly become more frequent, and the need for reform more apparent.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners is a personal injury law firm with nearly five decades of experience handling wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases on behalf of individuals and grieving families throughout Florida. The firm handles all manner of injury, including cruise ship accidents, motor vehicle crashes, medical malpractice cases, and water-related injuries. In decades of personal injury practice, Mr. Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, has seen the various ways in which micromobility devices have wreaked havoc on the lives of individuals and families alike.
From painful and long-lasting injuries to devastating deaths, these devices have remained largely unchecked, requiring no helmet usage, insurance, or minimum age to ride.
“Being unsightly may not be unforgivable, but landing innocent pedestrians or others in a neurosurgical coma is,” Mr. Leesfield said in his 2019 Op-Ed about the micro mobility devices. “Not to mention a slew of other reported serious injuries … Just ask those who work at Hospitals and Emergency rooms or walk-in medical facilities.”
In the U.S., data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission states that there was a 21% increase from 2021 to 2022 in injuries involving these electric modes of transportation in the United States. Minors 14 years old and younger make up a “significant” amount of the reported injuries, according to reporting from CBS Miami.
The CPSC also reported that, in addition to crashes, these e-bikes also have issues with fires. Electric vehicle fires can burn hotter and longer than gas-powered fires and can be more difficult to put out and pose a significant threat to firefighters. While EV fires occur less frequently than traditional gas fires, they take a considerable amount of time and more water to put out. From January 2021 until November 2022, the CPSC reported at least 19 deaths as a result of fires involving the micro-mobility machines.
By regularly speaking out about issues like those he has seen with E-bikes, Mr. Leesfield has become a public safety advocate. Through initiatives like the safety advisories displayed on the digital sign outside the firm’s Miami office on U.S. 1—a major commuter route — he raises awareness on critical safety concerns. Additionally, through The Leesfield Family Foundation, Mr. Leesfield partners with local organizations to tackle pressing issues such as impaired driving, sex abuse, pedestrian safety, and more, reinforcing his commitment to making communities safer for all.
Previous Cases
Leesfield & Partners has handled all manner of injuries caused as the result of road incidents in Florida for nearly five decades. In that time, the firm has secured millions on behalf of injured cyclists and pedestrians. In a bid to raise awareness about road and pedestrian safety, Mr. Leesfield has periodically posted public safety advisories on the digital board outside of the firm’s Miami office, which sits on U.S. 1 and is seen by thousands of commuters each day. Additionally, Mr. Leesfield has also teamed up with organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Friends of The Underline through his charitable organization, The Leesfield Family Foundation.
A case involving a bicyclist who was hit while stopped on the shoulder of the Overseas Highway in Key West resulted in a $5,350,000 settlement for the client. In that case, the bicyclist who was stopped on the side of the road was hit by a driver who was distracted by their car’s GPS.
A pedestrian-involved incident handled by the firm resulted in the maximum recovery amount of $6 million awarded to our injured client. In that case, a woman was walking back to her office following a midday break when she was struck by a truck making an illegal left turn whose driver claimed not to see her in the marked crosswalk. The woman had severe injuries, including skull fractures and brain hemorrhages as a result of the driver’s negligence.
For a Toronto family, a vacation to Fort Myers turned into a nightmare after a pickup truck driver failed to see a young wife and mother attempting to cross the street. Leesfield & Partners attorneys recovered an $8.5 million settlement for the family following a $27 million arbitration award.
Another pedestrian-involved incident handled by the firm resulted in a $2.9 million recovery.
The firm previously recovered $3 million for a mother and son injured in a bicycle incident.