911 tapes released after taxi hits bikers
MIAMI (WSVN) -- Police have released the frantic 911 calls after 11 cyclists were hit by a taxi driver Sunday morning.
"You need to send like 10 ambulances over there. It was like the worse thing I have ever seen," said a witness on the MacArthur Causeway at around 8 a.m. "You need to get people to Jackson, it was the sickest thing ever."
"Please get here quickly, there's people all over the road," said another caller.
Miami Beach Rescue crews rushed to the scene and transported six of the bicyclists, ranging from the ages of 33 to 48, to Ryder Trauma Center and treated the other injured riders on the scene.
Julio Fuentes, 47, has scrapes and cuts from his head to his ankles. "A car hit us from behind, then we all came tumbling. There were 15 or 16 bicyclists in our group," he said.
Officials said the taxi driver, 52-year-old Hebert Morais, admitted he fell asleep at the wheel. "He never saw it coming," said Miami Beach Detective Juan Sanchez. "They are pretty certain that when they went into the lane, the lane was clear. The next thing they know, they were being hit by a car."
Fuentes, who has been cycling all of his life, is thankful that his injuries did not force him to remain in the hospital. "Thank God I only have scrapes, and I didn't get any fractures. I do have scrapes all over, as you can see," he said.
"Thank God the he was alright," said Moises Fuentes, the victim's son. "He was one of the people that wasn't seriously injured."
At the hospital, concerned family members arrived to check up on their loved ones. Javier Linares was the most severely injured of the cyclists. He remains in critical but stable condition.
Meanwhile, at the MacArthur Causeway, streets were shut down while investigators tried to figure out what happened.
Miami Beach Police has not yet charged Morais. Though officials said Morais admitted to falling asleep at the wheel, the taxi company's lawyer said the company is not to blame. "There's no indication that he's been working excess hours that would lead him to fall asleep at that hour," said Michael Kaufman.
Kaufman said the cabbie had the right of way, but Fuentes said that can't excuse him from sleeping at the wheel. "I know they have to work, but they should also rest, so that no accidents like this happen," said Fuentes.
Fuentes said he's been riding with the cycling group for a few years now and this has never happened to them. He plans on hopping back on his bike once he gets better.
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