MIAMI – Cyclists laced up and put their feet onto bike pedals Wednesday to raise awareness for safer streets.
The 7-mile ride honored Aaron Cohen, a father of two and athlete who was killed by a hit-and-run driver Feb. 15 while cycling on the Rickenbacker Causeway.
"I had a horrible tragedy involving a bike accident, lost my husband, worst thing ever," said his wife, Patty Cohen. "It's not just Aaron. This has happened to a lot of people, and we're all out here to say we don't want this to happen anymore."
"'Share the road' is not a slogan; it's actually a way of behaving that saves people's lives," said Edna Walsh, who was with Aaron Cohen that morning.
Walsh also was hit and fractured his ankle.
"(It) came out of nowhere. (We) never heard him. At the time, there was a bang, and next we were on the ground," said Walsh.
Jackson Health System teamed up with Aaron Cohen's family and friends. Despite the wet weather, they took to the Causeway on two wheels in the hope of raising awareness and preventing a death like his from happening again.
"While I'm not here to tell you a story about how amazing people are (or that Ryder Trauma Center) saved my husband, I'm here today to tell you how they made the worst experience in my life a little better," said Patty Cohen.