"On the morning of October 30th, 2009, one of my closest friends and fellow cyclist Rodolfo Rojo age 17 was killed by a speeding vehicle on Biscayne Boulevard between Miami Shores and North Miami while we were on the way home from our friends house. We had just got him on a bike a week before and he was thrilled with the thought of using a bicycle as a form of transportation. I convinced him many times that it was safe to ride in the streets with lights.
Rodolfo Rojo attended DCS (Doctors Charter School) and is remembered dearly by his family, friends and teachers who attended his viewing Sunday afternoon at the Gregg L. Mason Funeral Home in Miami Shores.
Rodolfo had the proper safety lights on his bicycle, yet a speeding car took his life. The reality of what happened has really made me believe safety is the most important thing when it comes to cycling.
Rodolfo was the funniest most positive guy I grew up with and has really made me who I am today. I think we can all learn from what has happened and know that when we push our pedals we are not invincible. Losing a best friend had never crossed my mind before and now it has become my reality. Hopefully we can raise awareness of cyclists using the street so this will not happen to anybody else.
All my love goes out to his mother Claudia and his two sisters Emilia, age 12, and Ana who just turned 16 today, Monday November 2nd."
Sincerely
Bradley Kelly
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There will be a memorial bicycle ride for Rodolfo Rojo. I never had the pleasure of meeting Rodolfo, he was planning on attending his first Critical Mass the day of the accident. My condolences to all of his family & friends during this difficult time.
Sincerely
Rydel
How horrible. This is not far from where I live. Was the driver caught?
ReplyDeletePlease post the details of the ride when you have them.
I wonder if we could get a ghost bike as well.
This is a true tragedy, and my condolences go to the family. I found this link which says that he was riding in the street between 2 and 3 am at the corner of 113th and Biscayne Blvd, and the report said he had a light on his bike, but was not riding on the sidewalk at the time, even though the area is fairly desolate, and appears to be only intermittently lit.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.transitmiami.com/2009/10/
http://tinyurl.com/yfryz2k
I would encourage people riding in the wee hours of the morning to be aware that they may be difficult to see, even with lights on their bikes, and if they are in an area which has long, new, unobstructed sidewalks on both sides of the street, they might think about using those, rather than risking the street.
bummer, he looked like a good kid.
ReplyDeleteSaw this on the miafixed forums and it really saddens me to see how careless drivers are, especially at night. My condolences to anyone that knew him.
ReplyDeleteHas there been any confirmation of this tragic event on any news source? Is there any info on what exactly happened and what's going on with the driver? What about the friend?
ReplyDeleteI am that friend who wrote the article and was with him when it happened. I yet to know what happened to the driver. He was being investigated that night until i left the scene. I should find out all the legal details today and of course let everyone know. Thank you to everybody.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad.
ReplyDeleteI used to live in North Miami and rode through there occasionally.
It is very hostile to any but motor traffic.
It's said life isn't fair.
But death is definitely unfair.
The further you go, the harder it is to accept this sort of incident.
I've had 42 years since I was his age.
Why not him?
Mine's a heavy heart for all who knew and loved him...
---The Bikemessenger
Always keep in mind that in Miami "the party city", most, if not almost all, the cars you encounter on the street at or after Midnight may have a driver behind the wheel who has been drinking. We all know how common drinking and driving is in a city with no public transportation like ours. So keep that in mind, and stay well out of the way of the half asleep, chatting, texting, and drunken masses.
ReplyDelete