Citations were dismissed for the driver responsible for crashing into cyclists along A1A in Gulfstream in January.
Many of the victims are still recovering from their injuries three months later. Delray Beach fire officials said seven people were taken to the hospital.
“It’s very disappointing,” Richard Gertler, a cyclist and friend of the victims, said. “It’s very upsetting to many people. We’re a bit outraged. They’ve been hospitalized for months. Some of them have not been able to work.”
Why were the charges dismissed?
Court records show that the Florida Highway Patrol trooper who cited the 77-year-old woman did not show up to court on April 3.
WPTV reached to FHP who said they’re looking into the details of the court day.
“There’s no accountability, there’s no punishment for her, yet there’s a very severe punishment for the people that she struck,” Gertler said.
The woman was facing three traffic citations: failing to maintain her lane, no proof of insurance and unknowingly driving with a suspended or revoked license.
According to FHP, the woman had a seizure, epilepsy or blacked out at the time of the crash.
Gertler was upset that the woman wasn’t tested for drug or alcohol.
WPTV reporter Joel Lopez asked FHP who sent a statement saying “For an individual to be forced to comply with a drug test or for DUI, there must be probable cause; in this case, a drug recognition expert determined the driver not to be impaired.”
Lopez reached out to a phone number believed to belong to the woman, but she did not answer.
In February, Lopez interviewed Diego Rico, one of the cyclists hit by the car who said he had to get 20 stitches to his knee, had a shattered pelvis and a major tear in his rotator cuff.
“At this point I don’t even know what to ask the lady,” Rico said. “Especially when all of us are going to be left with million dollars worth of medical bills.”
Gertler said his friends are looking for an attorney to help sue the driver for loss of income, medical bills, and pain and suffering.
“This is not a traffic ticket where someone didn’t stop at a stop sign. This is a very severe case,” Gertler said.
Since the crash Gertler along with other advocates have launched the Florida Share the Road Coalition, going town to town asking leaders to improve road safety for cyclists.