The family of a 7-year-old girl who was struck and killed while riding her bicycle near her Pembroke Pines school is "devastated," their attorney said Wednesday as police continue their investigation into the crash that claimed her life.
"The family is devastated" said Robert Fiore, the attorney for the family of Sophia Gutierrez. "They have also a 9-year-old daughter and the entire family witnesses what happened so this is a tragedy of unspeakable proportions."
A police report said the white SUV that hit Gutierrez was driven by Nicholas Matthews, who was traveling westbound in the 13500 block of Northwest 10th Street.
It was just after 2 p.m. on January 6th when kids were getting out of nearby Lakeside Elementary, where Gutierrez went to school, when the incident happened.
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"We believe that this was, that this tragedy was preventable", said Fiore.
A toxicology report showed that the 40-year-old Matthews was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash, but had an undisclosed medical emergency and that's why he lost control of his SUV.
But Fiore said he believes there's more to the story.
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"Reconstruct what happened to make sure that the facts come out every step of the way whether it was a preventable event like we believe occurred here," he said.
Many people, including the Gutierrez family believe it is a dangerous intersection with so many kids riding bikes and walking near their homes and school.
Meanwhile, Pembroke Pines police said the investigation is not yet over as they continue looking at all the details of the crash.
