A well-known South Florida surgeon was rushed to the hospital after he was hit by a driver while riding a bicycle on the Rickenbacker Causeway over the weekend, according to Miami Police and family members.
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The crash happened on at around 8:30 a.m. Saturday at 3501 Rickenbacker Causeway.
Police said they responded to a traffic crash involving both a vehicle and a cyclist.
The cyclist was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Family members on Monday identified him as Dr. Gilbert Beauperthuy-Rojas, an orthopedic surgeon with HCA Florida Mercy Hospital.
The family said he was in critical condition. His brother-in-law said he has cuts to his kidney and liver and if he survives, he’ll be paralyzed from the waist-down.
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Beauperthuy-Rojas, along with his brother-in-law and a friend, have been riding their bikes along the Rickenbacker every Saturday morning for the past 16 years, family said, but the morning of the crash the doctor was riding alone.
“Dr. Beauperthuy-Rojas is a deeply valued member of the HCA Florida Mercy Hospital family and our hearts are with him and his loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” Allyssa Tobitt, CEO of HCA Florida Mercy Hospital, said in a statement. “As a Catholic healthcare ministry, we believe deeply in the power of prayer, hope and the strength of a community united in compassion. We ask our colleagues, patients and community to join us in praying for him, his family and all those affected by this tragedy.”
The driver remained on the scene and is cooperating with police, authorities said, and the circumstances surrounding what led up to the crash remain under investigation.
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