MIAMI – Yaudys Vera and Ogniana Reyes have been identified as the couple who was killed while riding bicycles on the Rickenbacker Causeway over the weekend.
The tragedy happened Sunday afternoon.
The couple was struck by a Jeep SUV.
“The car was pretty banged up. You could see that the airbags had gone off and there’s damage to the car. It hit hard,” witness David Winker said.
The couple’s mangled bikes were left scattered along the road, and the Jeep that hit them was left with significant front-end damage.
The driver stayed at the scene and was cited. He is not facing charges at this time.
The deadly crash is once again raising concerns over safety for bike riders.
“It takes a death for them to do something,” one cyclist said.
Cycling safety advocate Eli Stiers began voicing his concerns after cyclist Aaron Cohen was killed by a hit-and-run driver a decade ago.
“They put rumble strips on the highway,” he said.
Three years later, another cyclist was killed so green bike lanes were added.
Since then, a proposal called Plan Z was brought to the county, featuring a variety of safety improvements, but it went nowhere.
Avid cyclists say more needs to be done to prevent even more deaths.
A ride of silence is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday for the two cyclists. Riders will meet at Crandon Park Marina.
Loved ones have created a GoFundMe page to help with the couple’s funeral expenses.