Fort Lauderdale Cyclist Killed by Hit-and-Run Driver

On the heels of the Legislature's working on laying out harsher punishments for hit-and-run suspects and the trial of Axel Inostroza (a man who allegedly ran over a cyclist before dumping him in the woods), and this weekend's Fort Lauderdale Critical Mass comes the sad news of yet another cyclist being killed by an allegedly drunk driver who tried to get away.

Fort Lauderdale resident Daniel G. Mocker was riding his bike Sunday evening when he was run down by a 2007 GMC SUV in the 5100 block of North Federal Highway, according to police.

Mocker, 52, was pronounced dead at the scene.

See also: Florida Legislators Pass Law With Tougher Punishment for Hit-and-Run Accidents

According to Fort Lauderdale Police, the driver of the SUV, 23-year-old Andrew Goldman, appeared to be impaired.

At 8:38 Sunday evening, Goldman and Mocker were traveling north, just north of Commercial Boulevard. That's when Goldman's SUV stuck the rear wheel of Mocker's bike, sending him over the hood and then onto the ground.

A witness driving behind them told police that Goldman struck Mocker and that the victim fell off the hood of the SUV before falling onto the road. Goldman, the witness says, kept driving.

The witness followed Goldman and called 911 to report the accident. Police say Goldman's SUV has a severely damaged windshield.

As we reported last week, according to Florida statistics, it's gotten more and more likely that a driver will take off after hitting a cyclist. There were a reported 70,000 hit-and-run accidents in 2012 alone.

And thanks to a Florida law, people have little reason to stick around after they've hit someone.

The Florida Legislature is trying to change that.

Meanwhile, there are cases like that of Inostroza, a 27-year-old man who is set to stand trial for allegedly crashing his girlfriend's Mustang into a bicyclist in Fort Lauderdale and driving two miles with the cyclist lodged in the car's rear window.

Inostroza allegedly drove into the woods and dumped the still-living victim near a dumpster. The cyclist died from his injuries.

As for Goldman, police are investigating to see if this is a possible DUI case. They are currently awaiting the results of toxicology tests.

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