Police have released the name of a man they believe is responsible for the death of a 6-year-old on a bicycle who was killed in a Florida neighborhood on Jan. 18, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.
Francisco Arriola, 53, was charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, DUI 3rd violation, operating a vehicle without a license causing death and running a stop sign, according to media. The incident happened around 5 p.m. on Jan. 18 in an Apopka mobile home park about a 20-mile drive northwest of Orlando. The child was riding his bike when police say Arriola, in a 2003 Chevy Suburban, ran a stop sign and hit him.
The child was taken to AdventHealth Apopka where he later died from his injuries.
Arriola has a history of similar charges and was allegedly out on probation for a DUI charge at the time of the incident, according to local media.
The child has not been named publicly by police as of Wednesday. The investigation is ongoing.
Florida Crash Statistics
In 2024, the state had a total of 379,608 crashes with over 3,000 deaths and 245,442 injuries, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ Crash Dashboard, an online dataset that provides historic data online that tallies crash fatalities. In 2023, these numbers were recorded at 395,180 total crashes with 3,376 deaths and 252,289 injuries. That year, there were approximately 8,400 bicycle-involved crashes that caused 7,906 injuries and killed 234 people. Last year, Florida had 9,272 bicycle crashes with 8,781 injuries. Just under 200 bicyclists were killed.
As of Wednesday, there were 237 bicycle crashes statewide recorded for 2025 with 218 injuries. At least three people have died from bicycle crashes in 2025. In Miami-Dade County, where Leesfield & Partners has one of three Florida offices, there have been about 1,200 crashes in 2025 with 590 injuries and two deaths. The county reported 21 bicyclist crashes with 20 injuries.
Leesfield & Partners: A History of Representing Crash Victims
Injuries stemming from accidents on the road make up the bulk of personal injury claims brought to the desks of thousands of attorneys all over the country. At Leesfield & Partners, this fact is no less true. In nearly five decades of personal injury law, our attorneys have represented countless accident victims injured due to the negligence of other drivers, impaired drivers, inadequate infrastructure or vehicle malfunctions. In that time, the firm has secured numerous multi-million-dollar awards along with record verdicts and settlements for crash victims.
In a state that has historically ranked among those with the most crashes in the U.S., Leesfield & Partners has stepped in to warn drivers about the dangers of distracted and impaired driving. The firm regularly posts safe driving advisories on its digital sign, which sees thousands of South Florida commuters each day. Additionally, through The Leesfield Family Foundation, the charitable organization of the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, Leesfield & Partners has worked with groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Friends of The Underline. Mr. Leesfield has also published multiple articles warning drivers about the use of cell phones while behind the wheel.
Previous Cases
Leesfield & Partners previously handled the case of a young boy who was hit by a speeding car after his school bus driver instructed him and the other children to cross the street to board their bus. The crash happened around 6:10 a.m. when it was still dark outside while the bus was on the opposite corner of the intersection and stopped in the middle of the road. The driver had on the flashing lights and instructed the children to cross where there was no designated crosswalk.
The driver who hit the minor was speeding, leaving him unconscious upon impact. He was rushed to the hospital and was later diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. The case was handled by Justin B. Shapiro, a Partner and Trial Lawyer at Leesfield & Partners, who established that not only was the speeding driver at fault but so was the school bus driver for violating Florida traffic laws and putting the children in her care at risk.
Florida Statute §316.172(3), states that school bus drivers must stop as far to the right as possible and display warning lights and stop signals before allowing students to get on or off the bus. When possible, a bus should not stop where visibility is obscured for 200 feet in either direction. Mr. Shapiro was able to establish that not only was the bus driver in the wrong lane, but she also violated state law by not ensuring 200 feet of visibility in the direction of oncoming traffic.
A confidential settlement was secured for the boy and his family in that case.
In another bus crash that tragically resulted in the death of a pedestrian, Leesfield & Partners secured a $1 million recovery amount.
The firm secured a $15.4 million verdict for a 22-year-old man who suffered severe brain damage as the result of a crash with a drunk driver. The client in that case was a backseat passenger of a car stopped at as drawbridge when the car was hit from behind by the speeding and impaired driver.
At the time of the crash, the impaired driver’s blood-alcohol level was .21. In Florida, the legal limit is .08. In the crash, the injured client suffered several skull fractures, frontal lobe brain damage and facial fractures. Following the ordeal, he developed a seizure disorder that cannot be controlled by medication, making his career as a handyman a thing of the past.
In a case out of Monroe County, the firm secured a $5.35 million award for a bicyclist who was hit by a distracted driver while she was stopped off the shoulder of the Overseas Highway. The driver in that case hit the bicyclist because she was focused on the car’s GPS.
Our client suffered multiple life-threatening injuries as a result.
Another case handled by Mr. Shapiro, involved a woman who was left with several severe injuries after shed was hit by a negligent driver while walking back to her office following a midday break. The woman was in the marked crosswalk when she was hit by a pickup truck driver making an illegal left turn. The driver claimed not to have seen our client the day of the crash.
As a result, our client suffered multiple skull fractures and brain hemorrhages in addition to injuries to her left leg. The maximum settlement amount of $6 million was secured for the woman in that case.