South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Panic heard on 911 calls after fatal car crash with bikers
2 died, several were hospitalized as a result of the crash
The woman accused of crashing into a group of bicyclists in Davie — killing two of them — is among the frantic callers heard on 911 recordings released by police.
“I hit a bunch of bikers,” screamed Nicole Vanderweit to the operator. “I didn’t even see them. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”
Vanderweit, 33, told police she was distracted by something in her Honda Fit and blinded by sunlight before colliding with the cyclists about 8:30 a.m. Nov. 25, on eastbound State Road 84 near Southwest 136th Avenue.
Denise Marsh, 53, of Weston, died at the scene and fellow bicyclist Carlos Rodriguez, 62, of Hollywood, d i e d a f t e r s u rg e r y a t Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, police announced two days after the crash.
Edgar Reyes, 48, was hospitalized, Ma r i a Bautista, 56, and John Beitz, 49, were treated and released from the hospital, and a 14-year-old boy was scraped up but not hospitalized, police said.
More than a dozen passers-by, motorists, bicyclists, and others called 911 to describe the carnage and the need for immediate help for some of the 15 members of the Cycling Family Broward club.
“I was a cyclist behind them and it looked pretty bad, I mean, you’ve got broken bikes, broken bodies everywhere,” said one man on the 911 recording.
A man who identified himself as a first responder called in to tell the 911 dispatcher what was happening.
“I have one down, dead. I have two down and it looks like they’re on the way out to be honest with you,” he said. “A broken leg. I have two that are responsive. They’re up but they’re seriously injured.”
Another rescue professional, off-duty Margate/ Coconut Creek Fire Rescue paramedic Scott Schwartz, was taking the long way home after his shift when he happened upon the crash scene and stopped to help Marsh and the others.
“I made my way from victim to victim and there were several,” he said. “As soon as I triaged each victim, I came back to [Marsh] and started CPR.”
Of all the calls, Vanderweit sounded the most distressed when answering the operator’s questions.
“Yes, I hit them,” she said. “There was a pack of them. I hit a couple of them. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”
She told t he operator she had to phone her mother and the call ended.
Police said they were examining evidence collected from the crash scene including two badly damaged cellphones belonging to Vanderweit and one of the injured cyclists.
Va n d e r we i t ’s black Honda sustained front-end damage, a shattered windshield and a collapsed roof.
wkroustan@sunsentinel .com or 954-356-4303 or Twitter @WayneRoustan