Luis R. Rivera-Ortega

On New Year's Day, Luis R. Rivera-Ortega was riding his bike on the sidewalk with his friends on their way to play baseball when Robert Roedell drove onto the sidewalk and crashed into him. Roedell was in an illegal street race at the time and swerved onto the sidewalk to avoid a car. Police estimate that he was driving 70 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone said local news reports.
This was the second time Roedell had killed someone while street-racing; in 2003 he crashed into a steamroller and killed the operator. He was not charged in the death of Luis Rivera. Investigative reporters discovered that Roedell had previously been ticketed for having illegal 'slick' racing tires that interfere with the car's steering and brakes. The car that crashed into Luis also had those tires.
Roedell was not arrested for the death of Luis, nor was he charged for his 2003 crash.
The family of Luis held a rally at the place he was killed on February 1 to demand justice and stricter punishment for street racing drivers.
Click here for a local news story on their demand for justice.
By April 2008, a bill named for Luis for stricter punishment against street racing appears to be moving toward law in the Florida Senate.
Luis was the second cyclist killed on the sidewalks of Orlando. Cyclist Norman Benzing was killed by a car while walking with his wife on an Orange Avenue sidewalk not long before Luis' death.