Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Bouncer run over after bar bill dispute dies
A bouncer in a medically induced coma since he was run over after a bar bill dispute has died, the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed on Friday.
Joseph Curtis, 53, was in grave condition after the March 16 incident, officials said at the time. He died April 7.
Diego Salazar Uribe, of Hollywood, was charged with attempted murder after the incident, which happened outside Ocean’s 11 Sports Lounge & Grill, 800 N. Federal Highway, in Hallandale Beach.
After Uribe’s debit card had been refused when he tried to pay his bar tab, Curtis was escorting him to his vehicle to get another form of payment. Uribe got inside his van and ran over Curtis, according to the arrest report.
Before he was run over, the report said, Curtis was able to push a woman bystander out of harm’s way.
Curtis’ injuries included a lacerated kidney, fractured vertebra and internal bleeding. He was in a medically induced coma, a prosecutor said during a court hearing after Uribe’s arrest.
On Friday, Demetria Curtis, 32, said her father had been living in Davie with her and her 9-year-old son and was known for his huge size and huge heart.
“He was a big macho man, but one of those macho men with a big heart,” she said. “He was everybody’s hero.”
Demetria Curtis, a single mother who works part time, says her father’s job provided the household’s main source of income and that her grief is compounded by the bills that are piling up.
She hopes a GoFundMe page setup by her father’s girl-
friend, Debbie Pierson, helps ease some of that burden.
“Debbie’s been great. She’s been with us every step of the way,” Curtis said. “She’s treating us like her own children.”
On Friday, Uribe 43, remained jailed on a bond of $150,000. Because of the Good Friday holiday, prosecutors could not be reached to comment on whether Uribe may face additional charges.