Police seek to examine driver’s cellphone

She admitted to being distracted before crash

Recovering evidence from the cellphones of those involved in a fatal collision between a distracted driver and a group of bicyclists in Davie won’t be as simple as turning on the devices and scanning texts.

Two of the phones being examined — one belonging to driver Nicole Vanderweit, 33, and one of the bicyclists who was injured — were severely damaged in the pileup that happened Sunday morning in the eastbound lanes of State Road 84.

The Honda and the riders were just east of Interstate 75 when the car struck several members of the Cycling Family Broward club. Rider Denise Marsh, 53, of Weston, died about an hour after the 8:38 a.m. collision and two other riders were hospitalized.

Carlos Rodriguez, 62, and Edgar Reyes, 48, were in critical condition Monday, according to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.

Two other cyclists, Maria Bautista, 56, and John Beitz, 49, were treated and released. A 14-year-old boy escaped the crash with scratches.

It’s not clear what caught Vanderweit’s attention before the deadly impact. She admitted to being distracted by something in her passenger compartment, and police said there was also sun glare that morning.

Vanderweit, of Broward County, had left a friend’s house and was driving home when the Honda hit the riders on a stretch where the speed limit is 55 mph, Sgt. Mark Leone said.

As often happens with fatal crashes, Vanderweit was not charged as the investigation continues.

Part of detectives’ work will require reassembling the two cellphones that Leone said were “severely damaged.”

“We’re in the process of trying to recover data from them, to see if it will assist in the investigation,” Leone said. “We don’t know how long it can take, or if it will be successful.”

That recovery effort may include buying parts to make the cellphones work and to retrieve evidence that could be in texts or videos, he said.

Vanderweit gave police her phone as well as permission to download crash data from her car.

“Our investigators do not believe that alcohol, drugs or speed were factors in the crash,” Leone said.

Marsh, a married mother of two, was vice president of the Cycling Family Broward. The club often began their long rides, sometimes for 40 miles, from Durango Bikes on Pines Boulevard in Pembroke Pines.

“She was a great person,” store owner John Durango said of Marsh. “She was a leader, always trying to ride safe. And that group, they ride pretty safe, and that’s the worst part. They were always following the rules and this happened.”

Durango said Marsh’s death has had a big impact on the cycling community in South Florida, even among riders who didn’t personally know her.

“We are a family, and everyone is affected,” Durango said.