TAMARAC, Fla. – Two daughters are distraught after their father was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle in Tamarac.
According to police, 67-year-old Winston Copeland was riding his bicycle to work at McDonald’s just before 7 a.m on Aug. 6 along the eastbound bike lane of West Commercial Boulevard when he was struck by a vehicle, which then fled the scene.
“Upon arrival, they determined he was struck by a vehicle and that vehicle fled the scene,” Broward Sheriff’s Office Detective Chandler Greetham said.
The impact was so severe, it required the amputation of Copeland’s right arm. Copeland is an avid cyclist who used to participate in cross country cycling in Jamaica for years.
“He’s a human being and was left on the side of the street, and that is not OK,” his daughter Fulaine Smith said.
Police say the driver responsible was driving a silver Nissan Pathfinder, which was heading eastbound at the time of the collision.
The driver of the vehicle then took off without ever checking on Copeland, leaving him on the street to die.
“The fact he was left so long before he got emergency services, you know, that is the most heartbreaking part of the whole thing,” Greetham said.
The sisters say it breaks their heart because their father is an avid cyclist and hard worker.
“Cycling is like second nature to him,” Smith said. “He enjoys it. He used to do cross country cycling in Jamaica.”
“He has been riding his bike for 40 something years,” added Copeland’s other daughter, Shannon.
Now, Copeland’s daughters have a message for whoever was behind the wheel.
“Whoever did this, you need to come forward. You need to right this wrong.”
If you have any information, please call Broward Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-8477.