DAVIE, Fla. – A second person has died after a driver crashed into a group of bicyclists Sunday in Davie, police confirmed Tuesday.
Carlos Rodriguez, 62, was identified as the latest victim to die from his injuries. Denise Marsh, 53, was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Davie police said the crash occurred about 8:30 a.m. Sunday on State Road 84.
According to authorities, Nicole Vanderweit, 33, crashed her 2012 Honda Fit into a group of about 14 bike riders. Police said Vanderweit was distracted by something inside her car while the sun shined directly into her line of sight.
Rodriguez and three other bicyclists were hospitalized after the crash.
Police said one bicyclist, Edgar Reyes, remains in the hospital in stable condition.
Vanderweit did not want to be interviewed on camera, but she gave a statement Monday to Local 10 News.
"I am truly sorry that any of my actions led to the tragic events yesterday. My wholehearted condolence to Denise Marsh and her family. No words can express how sorry I am about your loss," she said. "Please know that if I could trade places with Mrs. Marsh, I would."
Police said Vanderweit wasn't using her phone at the time of the crash and she was cooperating with investigators. She handed over her mobile phone to detectives, police said.
Christopher Marsh told Local 10's Andrew Perez that he didn't believe it was real when he was told his mother had died.
He remembered his mother as a loving and generous woman who was passionate about cycling.
"The way that she expressed her love for others was through giving," Christopher Marsh said. "She would drop everything she was doing. She would inconvenience herself to the full extent just to help other people."
The cyclists were part of a group, Cycling Family Broward, which rides in the Davie area on weekends, although the group usually rides in much larger numbers.
"They get together on the weekends and travel together. In the area, there is not a designated bike lane; it’s a share-the-road situation," said Sgt. Mark Leone, a spokesman for the Davie Police Department.
Vanderweit has not been charged in the crash. Leone said the crash remains under investigation.