Cyclist dies after hit-and-run; driver arrested

MIAMI (WSVN) -- A family is now left to cope with the loss of a loved one, who died after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver Wednesday.

According to police, Enda Walsh and his friend, Aaron Cohen, were biking across the Rickenbacker Causeway to Key Biscayne early Wednesday morning, when a vehicle hit them.

Police said the driver then fled the scene; Walsh suffered a broken ankle, and Cohen has a serious head injury.

The 36-year-old father of two was sent to the hospital in critical condition. However, Cohen succumbed to his injuries on Thursday afternoon. "It is with total disbelief that something like this would happen to someone who is so good, so honest and such a loving father," said Cohen's father, Stephen. "Aaron Cohen is probably the nicest person who has ever lived. He had no enemies, he never had a bad word to say about anybody, he was a fierce competitor, he was bright ... He was the kind of son every father dreams about."

Investigators discovered the driver's badly damaged car in a parking lot on Wednesday night. The windshield sustained serious damage and the hood was caved in. The passenger side mirror was also missing.

Police arrested 26-year-old Michele Traverso, who appeared in court on Thursday and was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury and driving with a suspended license.

Traverso has had a history with drugs: he was almost done completing a drug program that stemmed from a cocaine charge, and the charge against him would have been dropped had he finished the program.

However, Traverso's new charges are a direct violation of the probationary program, and as a result, he will be held without bond for at least 24 hours. During Traverso's court appearance, the judge said, "I'm going to find probable cause, I'm going to hold you over to see Judge Deborah White-Labora tomorrow, and I'm setting a $10,000 bond, but you will not be released until you see the judge."

Cohen had many friends, who are currently organizing a memorial run in Aaron's honor. The run is scheduled to take place Thursday evening.

(Copyright 2012 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)