An avid cyclist from Miami died after he tried to beat an opening drawbridge over the Miami River.
Fred Medina, 58, approached the drawbridge, which connects Brickell and downtown Miami around 6 a.m. when it began to open.
Medina was unable to make it across and fell onto a concrete slab, and was killed. Medina’s friend, Stephen Tannenbaum, said that he was biking with another friend, who made it across the bridge before it started to rise. His friend tried and failed to get the attention of the person in charge of raising the bridge.
“He slid down the bridge and fell in between the section of the bridge that moves and the fixed part of the roadway,” Tannenbaum told WSVN. “I don’t know if he realized he had gone too far, and I guess the bridge tender didn’t hear my friend yelling as he was up in the air.”
South Miami Avenue Bridge is a drawbridge with plenty of warning signs for motorists and cyclists. Nevertheless, Medina ignored the warnings and felt confident that he could clear the rising drawbridge because he took the same bike route every morning with his friends.
Police are investigating the incident and looking for surveillance videos of the incident. Officials said that they believe Medina’s death was a tragic accident.
Medina, a media executive, was an experienced cyclist who reportedly rode more than 22,008 miles in 2020, according to his fit app. He would start his rides as early as 4:45 a.m.
Sony Pictures Executive and fellow rider T.C. Schultz called Medina’s sudden death “tragic,” but noted the cyclist “started the day doing what he loved.”
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