Cycling

Bus Driver Who Broke Cyclist's Leg Has Careless Driving Record, Criminal History

The bus driver who crunched a Miami Beach cyclist's leg on Ocean Drive has a criminal history and a habit of reckless driving.

On his record: Nine traffic infractions in a two year span -- including careless driving, operating an unsafe vehicle, and speeding 52 miles per hour in a 30 zone. He was also convicted of robbery, burglary and forgery in the early eighties.

According a Miami Beach police report, 51-year-old Gordon Russel Washington was driving private bus, owned by Genesis Bus Service at 7:15 p.m. on March 31. He was at the intersection of Ocean Drive and Second Street and "did not see a vehicle approaching him on the left." He collided with a cyclist named Jerry Rosen.

An ambulance rushed Rosen to Jackson Memorial Hospital as crime scene photographers arrived.

Rosen, age 56, was on an Avalanche bicycle. He's not completely innocent, either. The police report notes he was "traveling northbound in the southbound lane."

Washington, the bus driver, has other traffic infractions that include illegal u-turns and failing to move over. Both Rosen and Washington could not be reached for comment at phone numbers listed in public records.

Asked about the incident -- and the bus driver's record -- a spokesperson for Genesis Bus Service fired back: "How many people are going to call me about this?"

He declined to give his name, but continued: "He hasn't been with us that long....His license isn't suspended, is it? Are you suggesting he shouldn't have the job?"

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Natalie O'Neill
Contact: Natalie O'Neill

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