Miami

Bicyclist Struck, Killed on Julia Tuttle: Police

A bicyclist was struck by a car on the Julia Tuttle Causeway late Monday night and fell to his death in the Biscayne Bay, police said.

Miami Fire and Rescue received a call just after 11 p.m. Monday of an accident on the Julia Tuttle. A woman and her female passenger were driving when, according to MFR, the driver said another car cut her off, causing her to swerve to avoid crashing. In doing so, the driver hit a bicyclist who was riding east bound.

The car struck the 25-year-old bicyclist, knocking him into the Biscayne Bay below.

"We all know 195 is a busy interstate because people are either going east or going west out of the beach so this accident resulted was in a fatality," Florida Highway Patrol Spokesman Joe Sanchez said.

MFR, along with Miami Dade Fire Air Rescue, spent nearly two hours searching for the man. They found his body about 20 feet from the site of the accident in the water.

"Almost two hours later he was recovered, he was retrieved from the ocean," Sanchez said.

Police have not identified the male victim.

The driver, 28-year old Eltrisa McDaniel of Miami, and her 27-year-old passenger were both wearing seat belts. According to police, alcohol is not a factor in the crash.

Both women were treated for minor injuries.

"The question we have is what is he doing out there at 10:40 at night on his bicycle in a busy intersection, a dark intersection or a highway?" Sanchez said.

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