On February 15, 2012 Michele Traverso was driving his car on the Rickenbacker Causeway on Key Biscayne in Miami, Florida.  Mr. Traverso struck bicyclists Aaron Cohen and Enda Walsh.  Aaron Cohen passed away the following day and Enda Walsh sustained significant injury.  Mr. Traverso then fled the scene, drove to his Coconut Grove Condo and hid his damaged car under a tarp.  He turned himself in approximately 18 hours later.  It was suspected that he was drunk at the time but police are unable to establish his blood alcohol content because he fled the scene and there was no blood draw or other evidence of impairment.

He has already pled guilty to Leaving the Scene of an Accident with great bodily harm and driving with a suspended license.  In 2009 Mr. Traverso was arrested for marijuana possession (charges dismissed) and in 2011 he was arrested for cocaine possession (pled guilty and to be sentenced at the same time as the Miami Bike Accident case).  The Miami Herald has reported that Mr. Traverso is facing a sentence ranging from 22.8 months to 35 years.  The sentencing hearing today is expected to involve testimony and additional evidence from friends and family of Aaron Cohen and Michele Traverso

A Wrongful Death Lawsuit has been filed against Michele Traverso and his father who owned the car he was driving at the time of the Bicycle Accident.  It is interesting to note that Mr. Traverso was not charged with Vehicular Manslaughter for causing the death of Aaron Cohen.  This author does not know if this was due to lack of evidence that Mr. Traverso caused the accident or because of evidence that he, in fact, did not cause the accident.  However, Mr. Traverso’s guilty plea to leaving the scene of an accident with great bodily injury speaks volumes.

This Miami Bicycle Accident is a tragedy and our hearts go out to the Cohen family and Ms. Walsh and her family.  As a frequent bicycle rider on Key Biscayne, this tragedy hits close to home.  No matter how a bike accident occurs, or whose fault the accident was, stopping and making sure the bicyclist receives medical care is the basic human decency.

Jeffrey S. Altman is a Miami Car Accident Lawyer and Miami Personal Injury Lawyer who regularly handles cases similar to the one in this tragic story.  Our office is located in Miami just minutes away from North Miami, Miami Shores, North Miami Beach, Aventura and South Beach.  We represent  family members and victims and of Catastrophic Personal Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury and Wrongful Death with our office easily accessible from Miami-Dade County, Broward County and Palm Beach County and regularly litigate cases throughout the State of Florida.  For a Free Consultation call 305.373.3730 or email Jeffrey S. Altman at [email protected].