Broward County Bicycle Collision Claims the Life of Local Teenager

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on May 14, 2021

Authorities with the Pembroke Pines Police Department are currently investigating the cause behind a fatal bicycle accident which claimed the life of a 15-year-old boy this past Monday afternoon after the driver of a minivan dragged him nearly 30 feet down the roadway before finally coming to a stop.

According to local law enforcement officials, it was approximately 5:30 p.m. on May 10^th, 2021, when the first batch of distressed 9-1-1 calls began to flood the phones of local Broward County dispatchers referencing an auto accident with a possible fatality in the vicinity of the 15800 block of Pines Boulevard. As officers with the Pembroke Pines Police Department approached the area near the Westfork Plaza parking lot, they quickly discovered a severely injured adolescent trapped and pinned underneath a 2004 Mercury Monterey.

First responders and bystanders worked feverishly to free the 15-year-old boy from the minivan and were eventually forced to lift the entire vehicle off of the teen in order to rescue him. Once he was safely away from the minivan, emergency response teams immediately raced against the clock to arrive at Memorial Regional Hospital so he could receive further medical treatment. Sadly, the teenager’s condition was far too serious to recover from and he passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Witness statements retrieved by the Pembroke Pines Police Department and additional Broward County officials indicated that right before the fatal collision occurred, the 15-year-old bicyclist was riding along the sidewalk across the entrance to the Westfork Plaza shopping center when 68-year-old Joan Ferris Berkowitz, the driver of the Mercury Monterey, attempted to exit the shopping center and crashed into the teen. For reasons that are currently unknown, Berkowitz, who was seemingly unaware of the collision, then proceeded to pull onto the roadway and continue approximately 30 feet down Pines Boulevard before she finally realized what had happened.

Local media outlets have reached out to Berkowitz for a statement, but she declined to be interviewed. It is unclear at this time if any charges will be filed against her, although the investigation into this case is still in its early stages.

Sources:

• Boy, 15, dies after being dragged under van in crash, police say

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.