By Adam H. Beasley
The Miami Herald
MIAMI — An off-duty city of Miami firefighter out for a Thursday morning bike ride with his brother was knocked unconscious — but is expected to be all right — when a pickup truck veered into him on the Rickenbacker Causeway.
Lt. Raymond Fernandez, who was not wearing a helmet, was taken to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. His prognosis is good, said Ignatius Carroll, a Miami Fire Rescue spokesman.
Fernandez’s brother, Juan Fernandez — also a lieutenant with Miami Fire Rescue — was not struck but was thrown from his bike when James Taylor Luckett’s 2005 Nissan Titan hit his brother. Juan Fernandez, 45, received treatment for minor leg injuries at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Here’s how Carroll and Officer Martha Carbana, a spokeswoman for the Miami Police Department, said the accident happened:
Just after 9 a.m., the Fernandez brothers were out for a ride along the Rickenbacker Causeway, a popular exercise spot for joggers and riders.
They were headed east on the wide shoulder in the far right lane.
Luckett, 40, of Buxton, N.C., later told officers that he had seen another vehicle swerve into his lane, and he had to veer to the right to avoid it. Luckett swerved too far, striking Raymond Fernandez, 43, and knocking him from his bike.
Fernandez, a 23-year Miami Fire Rescue veteran, was knocked out and remembered little of the accident later at the hospital.
Police found Luckett at fault in the accident. He has been charged with careless driving. It is not clear why Luckett was in Miami.
The Fernandez brothers often ride the Rickenbacker Causeway for exercise on their days off, Carroll added, and it was not uncommon for them to meet up with other firefighters on the route.
One lane of the causeway was closed to traffic for about an hour after the accident.
Copyright 2007 The Miami Herald
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News