Car Strikes Miami-Dade Officer, Kills Wife, While Biking
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- A bike ride became deadly for a Miami-Dade Police officer and his wife over the weekend.
Neighbors were stunned to see the image Saturday morning of a man lying on the side of the road in the Redlands next to two crumpled bicycles. His wife laid dozens of feet away from him. Paramedics attended to them both.
"He was trying to get up and move around, they were trying to get him to lie still so he didn't hurt himself even more, but the lady down the road there, she wasn't moving at all," Larry Gay told CBS4's Natalia Zea.
Gay lives around the corner from the accident scene on SW 162nd Avenue near 150th Street.
He says his surveillance camera caught a glimpse of the green Volkswagen Beetle seconds before the driver slammed into the bicyclists.
The young female driver behind the wheel remained on the scene, and stayed out of view of news cameras.
The victims have been identified as Lt. Jorge Interian with Miami-Dade Police Internal Affairs and his wife Annabelle Interian. They were both airlifted to Jackson South Community Hospital's trauma unit.
Jorge Interian was treated and released Monday – his wife died at the hospital.
It does not appear either of them were wearing helmets. They were hit just about a mile from their home.
"They were probably just out for a bicycle ride because it was Saturday morning at 8 o'clock in the country, and we don't have any traffic on this road, but that Farm Life is a busier road but you expect people to be able to see you when you're on a bicycle," said Gay.
This wasn't the first tragedy to strike this particular section of SW 162nd Avenue.
The flowers and candles laid out for Annabelle Interian are just a few feet from where a man was killed.
Gay said a man crashed his car and hit a tree a few years ago.
His thoughts are with them both.
"I just feel sorry for them. They're just out starting to exercise and stay healthy and all of a sudden they lose their life and their whole life has changed"
CBS4 News saw several police officers, some from Internal Affairs, outside the Interian family home. One officer told Zea that Lt. Interian has been with the Miami-Dade Police Department for more than 20 years.
The driver who hit them has not been identified. Police said she is not facing charges for the accident.
On Monday, the Interian family issued a statement saying, "While we appreciate your interest in this story, at this time the Interian family is requesting privacy."
