South Florida Bicyclist Dies after Hit and Run

After suffering devastating injuries in a bicycle accident in December 2013, a Fort Lauderdale bicyclist has passed away. Craig Camlin recently died at Broward Health North Medical Center in Pompano Beach, Florida after a horrific hit and run accident left him paralyzed.

Camlin was riding his bike to work at 6:30am, on Northeast 18th Avenue on December 16, when he was hit from behind by a motor vehicle. After being thrown from his bike and landing on the back window of a black Ford Mustang, the driver, Axel Inostroza, continued to drive two miles to his apartment complex. When he arrived, he dumped the injured cyclist’s body behind the garbage bins located in the parking lot of the complex. After leaving Camlin, he went inside his apartment to take a nap, making no attempt to call police or help Camlin receive medical attention.

Lawn workers discovered Camlin, who was barely breathing and unconscious, by the trash bins and rushed him to the hospital. The accident caused numerous injuries and resulted in Camlin being paralyzed, on a ventilator, and unable to speak much to his family and friends. The only words he could utter were barely above a whisper.

After initially making progress, Craig Camlin suffered from several cardiac arrests and sadly, lost his fight and passed away. The driver, Inostroza, now faces numerous criminal charges, including tampering with physical evidence and failure to stop at an accident involving an injury. Since Camlin’s death, police investigators will speak with prosecutors to see if additional charges will be filed.

Everywhere you look in Florida, you see a bicyclist. Whether it’s on a beach path or coasting down the road, bicyclists enjoy all that Florida has to offer. Unfortunately, this also means increased bicycle accidents and fatality rates. In fact, more than 4,500 bicycle crashes occur in the State of Florida alone with over 4,200 bicyclists suffering injuries; furthermore, more than 100 people are killed each year in Florida bicycle accidents.

A vehicle struck Craig Camlin in broad daylight; this isn’t as uncommon as most might think. An astounding 48% of bicyclists killed in car crashes happen during the daytime.