Bicyclist fatally struck by Miami-Dade Transit bus

Man pronounced dead at scene

MIAMI – A bicyclist was killed Saturday after being struck by a Miami-Dade Transit bus.

Keshia Hayes said she was riding towards the back of the Miami-Dade Transit bus when it ran over a man on a bicycle and killed him. The bus driver was seen being comforted by detectives.

"Everyone on the bus was yelling at the bus driver, telling her someone was under the bus while she kept going," Hayes said.

Investigators told Local 10 News that the bus driver had just pulled up to a bus stop on Northeast 79th Street and Fifth Avenue around 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The bicyclist crashed into the center of the bus.

"I heard it, and then everybody started yelling," Hayes said.

But it seems neither the impact nor the screams from the passengers were enough to get the driver's attention.

"When the bus began to start moving -- continuing to moving -- westbound, that's when, unfortunately, (she) ran over the bicyclist," Miami-Dade police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said.

"When I got off the bus, I couldn't look," Hayes said. "I did not want to look."

Faith Davis lives in the neighborhood and said the man who died was known in the area.

"I was going here to buy some groceries and I saw everything that was happening and was like, 'Wow," Davis said. "He used to sell water up here. I mean, I didn't get the water from him, but, you know, he was a nice guy. He always sold water to everybody."

Miami police shut down traffic on 79th Street between Biscayne Boulevard and Fourth Court as Miami-Dade police traffic homicide detectives piece together exactly what happened.

"Because it's a county vehicle, we become the lead on this," Zabaleta said.


About the Authors:

Liane Morejon is an Emmy-winning reporter who joined the Local 10 News family in January 2010. Born and raised in Coral Gables, Liane has a unique perspective on covering news in her own backyard.

Troy Blevins is a Digital Content Editor who has been with Graham Media Group since 2012.