jasoncran
Member
VERO BEACH — A tour bus driver going around traffic fatally rammed into a Vero Beach bicyclist stopped at a red light at the intersection of 43rd Avenue and 26th Street at 7:21 a.m. Friday, according to police officers.
The 21-year-old Vero Beach bicyclist, Nicholas Rybka, was pronounced dead shortly after at the Indian River Medical Center.
Traffic on the roadways was closed off until mid-morning, slowing up heavy commuter traffic including school buses.
Tour bus driver Robert DuBose, 83, of Vero Beach, was examined at Indian River Medical Center. He was alone in the American Coach bus owned by Midnight Sun Tours Inc. of Palm Beach. DuBose had been a driver for the company for several years, said Bret Brittenum, manager of American Coach Lines.
"We're saddened by the accident," Brittenum said.
The front passenger window of the bus was cracked from the impact.
Police continue to investigate the incident. The bus was northbound on 43rd Avenue when "for some unknown reason the bus driver left the right shoulder of the road's edge, passed several vehicles and hit the bicyclist," said police Officer Doug Bickford.
After the crash, the bus was on the north side of the intersection and the mangled bicycle was on the curb on the south side of the traffic light. Police are taking the bus in for a mechanical examination.
Brittenum said he did not know where DuBose was going at the time of the accident.
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i was affected by this accident as i work near that light. and i know the key witness to that accident. i saw the bus in tow a few hours later.
Lord, only you know where this man is now. i ask that you give his family peace and strength for the hard times ahead and also be with the bus driver. in your name amen.
The 21-year-old Vero Beach bicyclist, Nicholas Rybka, was pronounced dead shortly after at the Indian River Medical Center.
Traffic on the roadways was closed off until mid-morning, slowing up heavy commuter traffic including school buses.
Tour bus driver Robert DuBose, 83, of Vero Beach, was examined at Indian River Medical Center. He was alone in the American Coach bus owned by Midnight Sun Tours Inc. of Palm Beach. DuBose had been a driver for the company for several years, said Bret Brittenum, manager of American Coach Lines.
"We're saddened by the accident," Brittenum said.
The front passenger window of the bus was cracked from the impact.
Police continue to investigate the incident. The bus was northbound on 43rd Avenue when "for some unknown reason the bus driver left the right shoulder of the road's edge, passed several vehicles and hit the bicyclist," said police Officer Doug Bickford.
After the crash, the bus was on the north side of the intersection and the mangled bicycle was on the curb on the south side of the traffic light. Police are taking the bus in for a mechanical examination.
Brittenum said he did not know where DuBose was going at the time of the accident.
© 2011 TCPalm. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
i was affected by this accident as i work near that light. and i know the key witness to that accident. i saw the bus in tow a few hours later.
Lord, only you know where this man is now. i ask that you give his family peace and strength for the hard times ahead and also be with the bus driver. in your name amen.
