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Carlos Bertonatti Was a Terrible Driver Long Before He Was Charged With Killing a Biker

What kind of person drunkenly slams into a cyclist on the Rickenbacker Causeway and then speeds away while the biker bleeds to death on the road?​In the case of this Sunday's horrific crash, according to police, it's the same kind of person who can rack up more than 40 traffic...
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What kind of person drunkenly slams into a cyclist on the Rickenbacker Causeway and then speeds away while the biker bleeds to death on the road?

​In the case of this Sunday's horrific crash, according to police, it's the same kind of person who can rack up more than 40 traffic violations in 12 years.

Namely, it's Carlos Bertonatti, who in addition to being a wannabe John Mayer crooner with a Sony recording contract was also one of Miami's worst drivers.

Bertonatti can now add to that lengthy record charges of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of a fatal accident, driving without a license, and resisting arrest.

Police say that on Sunday, the 28-year-old Bertonatti was driving drunk when he crushed Christophe Le Canne, a 44-year-old cyclist, near Key Biscayne and then sped away with the man's bike lodged under the front of his Volkswagen.

A search of Bertonatti's driving record (with thanks to a number of posters on Monday who pointed Riptide toward the violations) shows six infractions in 2009 alone, ranging from failure to pay a toll to parking permit fraud to driving without insurance.


Since he began driving in Miami-Dade in late 1997, Bertonatti piled up 41 traffic charges.

Ten times he was stopped for speeding. According to witnesses to Sunday's accident, Bertonatti did so much damage to his car when he hit Lecanne that he likely was traveling more than 60 mph on the bridge, well over the 45 mph limit.

The rest of the violations include running stop signs, ignoring traffic lights, and driving repeatedly without insurance or registration.

It's not clear whether Bertonatti lost his license at any point because of his horrific driving record.

Remember Gabriel Delrisco? Last January, he was driving drunk when he rear-ended an SUV and killed three children. It turned out he had 26 violations in just seven years but never lost his license.

Bertonatti was cited Sunday for driving without a license, so it's possible the state might have finally suspended his privileges.

Should the state have known this guy was capable of mowing down a biker and leaving him to die? No way.

But in hindsight, his record paints the picture of a guy not particularly concerned with the law -- or other people's safety.


UPDATE: As several readers have pointed out, Bertonatti's legal record goes beyond his driving violations.

First, in January 2000, when Bertonatti was 18, he was charged with misdemeanor battery and fraud. He was sentenced to probation and community service. 

A few months later, in June that year, Bertonatti again was booked for assault and battery, plus disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

All three charges were municipal violations. The assault charges were dropped, and the other two resulted in fines. 

The files for both cases have been destroyed, so there's no easy way to find out exactly what happened.

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