Response to bike accident investigated

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Residents are saying it may be time for a change after a deadly accident on a busy South Florida causeway.

The nearest fire rescue station was just a few miles away, but rescuers had to come from much further from the scene. The City and the County's rescue both responded. The City was delayed because, they said, this was in the County's jurisdiction, and the County said they had the call.

The county's rescue arrived on the scene 12 minutes after the crash, and some believe this delay was all about budget cuts.

Carlos Bertonatti, an aspiring musician, faces charges of DUI manslaughter, among others. He has a poor driving record and even has a criminal background: a charge of battery. He stands accused of hitting cyclist Christopher Lecanne on Bear Cut Bridge.

This is an area in the jurisdiction of Miami-Dade County and is near the entrance of Key Biscayne.

One cyclist said he arrived at the scene a half hour after the crash. He said there was blood everywhere, and his friend told him it took fire rescue some time to arrive.

That station is only opened part-time. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said, "Tragically the extent of the victim's injuries were unsurvivable. The response time was 12 minutes. The fact that the nearest Miami-Dade fire station was closed is a direct result of budgetary cuts."

Miami-Dade's Commissioner Carlos Giminez said, "You look at it deeper and you look at some of the things that they may have prioritized over this, then comes the question of, OK, you said you were going to do this, but are there other areas available?" Giminez continued to say, "We're trying to figure out in terms of what the mutual aid request and policy there is."

Both Key Biscayne Fire Rescue and the City of Miami Fire Rescue are closer to the scene of this crash.

The rescue truck first on the scene was sent from Miami-Dade's nearest station, which is in South Miami, the closest one that was open at the time.

The suspect's family released this statement: "Words cannot begin to describe the awful tragedy that occurred Sunday morning. Lives were changed forever, and two families are grieving and going through an extremely difficult time."

The County has now launched an internal affairs investigation into the crash.

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