A Miami orthopedic surgeon was in critical condition Sunday at Jackson Memorial Hospital after being hit while riding his bicycle across the Rickenbacker Causeway.
At about 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Miami police arrived at the scene of the crash in the 3500 block of Rickenbacker, according to Public Information Officer Kiara Delva. By the time officers had arrived, the victim, identified by family as Gilbert Beauperthuy, had already been rushed to Jackson Memorial. The location is on Virginia Key, near the Miami Marine Stadium.
The driver of the vehicle that hit Beauperthuy remained at the scene and is cooperating with police, Delva stated in an email.
“The circumstances surrounding what led up to the crash remains under investigation,” she added.
Now Beauperthuy’s family is making a plea to the community for any information that could help them and police learn more about what happened.
Beauperthuy, 63, is an orthopedic surgeon at Mercy Hospital – not far from where Saturday’s crash occurred. He suffered lacerations to his kidney and liver and was listed in critical condition, as of Sunday afternoon, according to his brother-in-law and Key Biscayne resident, Carlos Mendia.
“It’s touch and go right now,” Mendia said.
Beauperthuy remained unconscious and was on a respirator. The family has been told by doctors that if Beauperthuy survives, he will be paralyzed from the waist down.
“We are hoping for the best,” Mendia added.
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Police have told the family very little, only adding that the driver was “a kid in an SUV.”
The Saturday morning bicycle ride has been a long tradition. For 16 years, the two brothers-in-law along — a friend Rafael Ortiz made the Rickenbacker trek.,Mendia said that Beauperthuy usually meets him at the entrance to the Key Biscayne and they do a loop around.
But this last Saturday morning, Beauperthuy rode alone, because his brother-in-law was out of town.
Mendia also shared his plea for information on local chats in WhatsApp over the weekend.
“We are desperately trying to find out what happened,” he wrote. “ If you saw anything, or if you have dashcam, cycling camera, or phone footage from the area yesterday, please share with me.”
Mendia asks that anyone who has any information contact him at 305-479-6889.
His brother-in-law has spent decades helping others as an orthopedic surgeon with a focus on sports injuries or degenerative conditions of the knees, hips and shoulders.
“I like helping people. I get pleasure out of helping people and orthopedics is the immediate satisfaction that you get from helping people and changing their lives,” Beauperthuy said in a video posted to his profile on HCA Florida Mercy Hospital’s website.
In addition to being an avid cyclist, Beauperthuy is a former football player who is also an enthusiastic skier and runner and regularly participates in a variety of marathons and triathlons.
According to his hospital biography, “His vast knowledge of athletic injuries and treatments utilizing the newest and most proven techniques for joint pain, combined with his expertise in sports medicine and cell rejuvenation, gives him the distinct ability to return patients to an active lifestyle”
Jessica De Leon is a general assignment reporter at the Key Biscayne Independent.