4 February 20-26, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ CORAL GABLES POSTMORTEM SOTHEBY’S REALTY EXEC SUED FOR WIFE’S CRASH THAT KILLED UM STUDENT. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN T he family of the University of Mi- ami student killed in a traffic ac- cident while riding his scooter last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver and her husband, the president of South Flor- ida luxury real estate brokerage One Sothe- by’s International Realty. Daniel “Danny” Bishop, a senior majoring in mathematics and psychology, was riding his scooter to class when Veronica Bilbao de la Vega fatally struck him near LeJeune Road and Altara Avenue while driving a black Ca- dillac Escalade on March 4, 2024. Bilbao de la Vega was cited for driving with an expired li- cense, which expired in 2020, and failure to use due care. As previously reported by the Real Deal, Bilbao de la Vega, a public defender in Miami- Dade County, was driving 17 miles per hour when she hit Bishop in the crosswalk. She told Coral Gables police officers that she had looked right to check for oncoming traffic and didn’t see Bishop as she turned left. In her lawsuit against Bilbao de la Vega and her husband Daniel, Bishop’s mother Su- san alleges that Daniel, as the owner of the vehicle, “knew or should have known” that his wife should not have been driving given her expired license. The family is seeking damages in excess of $50,000. “On or about March 4, 2024, Daniel de la Vega knew or should have known, based on her driving history, that Veronica de la Vega was a careless driver who was unfit to safely and le- gally operate the subject vehicle on a public street and/or roadway,” the lawsuit alleges. Daniel is the son of One Sotheby’s founder and CEO Mayi de la Vega. She founded the company, which has become of the leading firms for luxury real estate from Miami to Melbourne, Florida, in 2008. The complaint asserts that Bilbao de la Vega failed to carefully and properly look out, yield the right of way to pedestrians in the crosswalk, exercise reasonable care to avoid striking pe- destrians, maintain proper control of the Esca- lade, and operate the vehicle in a safe manner and in compliance with traffic laws. The same failures are repeated against Daniel. “Defendant’s negligent, grossly negligent and/or reckless acts, and/or omissions directly and proximately caused the death of Daniel Bishop on March 4, 2024,” the suit reads. Last month, Bilbao de la Vega avoided jail time and was sentenced to six months proba- tion. She also must complete 500 hours of community service and pay a fine of $1,000, plus court costs. In the aftermath of the fatal crash, two UM safety groups, BikeSafe and WalkSafe, re- ported that the intersection near Coral Ga- bles Senior High School where the accident occurred has a dangerous design. The groups pointed out that vehicles can make left turns at the same time pedestrians have the signal to cross the road, calling for the roads to be redesigned. It is a commonplace design that allows drivers to turn left on a solid green light while yielding to pedestrians and on- coming traffic. A Coral Springs native, Bishop graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland as class salutatorian. He had a job lined up to teach math at Gulliver Preparatory School following his graduation from UM. | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Daniel “Danny” Bishop had the right of way when he was struck and killed by a car while commuting to the University of Miami on his scooter. Daniel Bishop screenshot via Instagram ▼ KEY BISCAYNE BIRD STRIKE MAN ARRESTED FOR INJURING GREAT WHITE HERON AT BILL BAGGS PARK. BY NATASHA YEE T he search for the man who injured a Great White Heron with a rock at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Janu- ary 20 has ended. On February 7, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) arrested 34-year-old Edgar Estuardo Valenzu- ela for offenses involving harm to federally pro- tected wildlife. Valenzuela, who is also on an immigration hold, calling into question his legal status in the United States, was charged with one count of wounding or killing an endangered species, a third-degree felony. As New Times previously reported, a woman at the park in Key Biscayne called the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station to report that she had witnessed a man throw a rock at a Great White Heron. According to a FWC press release, “The offi- cers’ investigation determined that Valenzuela was fishing in the park when he became angry at the heron for eating his bait. He then started throwing rocks at the bird, striking the animal and severely injuring it.” Upon police questioning, the man admitted to hurling rocks at the heron, prompting his ar- rest and transport to jail. “The protection of our resources in Florida, particularly our wildlife, is a top priority to our officers,” Maj. Alberto Maza, FWC regional commander for the area that includes Key Biscayne, said in the press release. “We are grateful to the witnesses that took action to call a wildlife rescue and to Pelican Harbor Seabird Station for performing the emergency surgery and providing the ongoing care necessary to give the heron its best chance at recovery.” After rehabbers from Miami-based nonprofit Pelican Harbor Seabird Station (PHSS) rescued the bird and performed X-rays confirming both fractured and broken bones, the heron under- went emergency surgery. “Fractures of this nature will take much lon- ger to heal than that of a simple break, so we still have quite a long road ahead and its prognosis remains guarded,” PHSS wrote on its Insta- gram alongside photos and videos showing a veterinarian removing the bird’s bandages and checking its fractures. “For the time being, we continue to provide care to ensure maximum comfort and healing for this patient.” As of this reporting, Valenzuela remains jailed at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. [email protected] “FRACTURES OF THIS NATURE WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER TO HEAL THAN THAT OF A SIMPLE BREAK.” N do you LIKE what you see? Check Us Out for Upcoming Parties and Events! facebook.com/miaminewtimes register to win at miaminewtimes.com/promotions COOL STUFF go here to WIN
