MIAMI – A Miami man who is legally blind hopes to raise awareness about a little-known law after he was struck by an SUV in a crosswalk.
Ed Beresh said an SUV's side mirror hit him as he walked in a marked crosswalk to Dadeland Mall in Kendall on July 16. He said that after he made his way over a pedestrian bridge, he came to the sidewalk, stopped at the street and raised his white cane to alert drivers he was going to walk across.
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By raising his cane, Beresh was obeying Florida's White Cane Law, which also says that, "The driver of every vehicle approaching the intersection or place where the pedestrian is attempting to cross shall bring his or her vehicle to a full stop before arriving at such intersection or place of crossing."
But, although he said he raised his cane, Beresh said a vehicle hit him.
"I did land face-down," Beresh said.
Beresh and his attorney spoke to the media a week after the incident, in the hope of getting answers from Miami-Dade police and the driver of the H2 Hummer SUV, who did not leave the scene and was not ticketed.
"We have no knowledge that the person was ever cited for this, and on top of that, he never received the driver exchange information. He just got a card," said Beresh's attorney, Barry Snyder. "We can't get any information from Dade County as to who the other driver was or the insurance."
Meanwhile, Beresh, who was treated for his injuries, wants the driver to pay his medical bills.
"I'm concerned that I may have lost additional vision," Beresh said. "I have facial cuts here, fracture on my nose. My eye socket is fractured."
Beresh, who also is hearing impaired, said he wants to feel safe again, protected by the law and law-abiding drivers.
"The awareness that they need to yield to pedestrians," Snyder said.
Miami-Dade police said the driver was not ticketed because there was no evidence showing the ticket would be warranted. Police said they also have 60 days to provide a victim with a copy of a police report.