Florida cyclist puts in $500 to help hit-and-run victim

A Florida man is willing to put up $500 of his own money to help find the individual who threw a full beer can at cyclist Erin Schroeder and caused her bike to crash on a Plymouth County road.

Joe Mizereck, an avid cyclist in Tallahassee, Fla., came across Schroeder's story online.

"I monitor anything that comes up with cyclists injuries and hit-and-runs all over the world," Mizereck said in a phone interview. "It's just amazing the number of hit-and-runs all across the world."

Mizereck has had a number of close calls himself, and he's had friends hurt while cycling when they were hit by vehicles.

He decided to try to raise awareness of how to drive around cyclists.

In Florida, a state law requires drivers to give cyclists 3 feet of clearance when passing a bicycle.

Mizereck printed bright yellow cycling jerseys that read "3 Feet Please" to remind drivers of the law. He started selling them online.

"People started buying them, people from all over the world," he said.

He sent Schroeder one of these jerseys after reading her story.

But he wanted to do more.

He contacted the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office and offered to add $500 to the reward for anyone who can give information leading to an arrest and conviction of the person or people that caused Schroeder's crash.

The Plymouth County Cyclists Club has already offered a reward in return for information.

"I felt the bike club had started something, and that maybe a little more might help," Mizereck said.

That seems like a hefty sum to give for a stranger, but Mizereck has done this before.

Earlier, he offered a reward for any information about a hit-and-run in England that left Jeff Flemming, a British man dead and orphaned his 10-year-old son.

"Nobody deserves to be left on the road like roadkill," Mizereck said.

The Florida man was diagnosed with leukemia a few years ago. He took up cycling after his doctor told him if he stayed healthy and he'd have a better chance of surviving it.

Now he's working to help other cyclists survive the road.

He's created a web site, RoadGuardian.com, where cyclists can mark and share places where they had a close call with a vehicle, or even where a dog chased them.

More than that, he's working to create awareness.

"It's a car world. Cyclists have to sort of get by in that world. They shouldn't have to," he said.

His message to motorists is simple: Slow down, take a moment.

If there two cars meet at the same spot on the road as a cyclist, one car should wait for the other car to pass and give the cyclist room.

Thirteen states now have the 3-foot clearance law, he said.

Iowa isn't among them -- yet.

A bill has been in Iowa Legislature, Mizereck said, but so far, it's stayed locked up.

"My hope is that every state has a 3-foot clearance law," he said. "That's just the minimum. Cyclists need some room."

People with information on the Plymouth County hit-and-run bicycle crash can contact Crimestoppers at 548-4968 (and calls can be anonymous) or the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office at 546-8191.