Hit-and-run kills bicyclist on Fort Lauderdale bridge, police search driver

Fort Lauderdale police were searching for the driver who struck and killed a woman riding a bicycle on the Southeast 17th Street bridge, a crash that shut down the eastbound lanes for hours Thursday morning. Officers and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue crews were called to the 2000 block of Southeast 17th Street shortly after 6:40 a.m., where they found that the bicyclist had been hit by a dark-colored vehicle.

The driver fled before police could identify the car or make an arrest. Paramedics rushed the woman to Broward Health Medical Center, where she later died. Her name was not immediately released. Aerial video showed the bicycle lying on its side in the bike lane as investigators worked the scene, underscoring how little protection cyclists have in the corridor when traffic is moving fast and visibility can change by the minute.

The closure created an immediate disruption on one of Fort Lauderdale’s main links to the barrier island, with eastbound traffic backed up while detectives reconstructed the crash. Police later reopened the roadway, but the investigation remained active as officers asked anyone with information to contact Broward County Crime Stoppers.

The crash puts fresh attention on the Southeast 17th Street bridge and the wider SW/SE 17th Street corridor, which Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization materials say is being planned for safer bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The MPO’s project page says public meetings were held in April 2026 and construction is planned for 2027, with a stated goal of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries. The corridor project is also intended to connect with the proposed Broward Commuter Rail Station, tying the bridge not just to neighborhood travel but to a larger regional network.

That broader planning effort comes as Broward County’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee continues to track safety for people walking and biking across the county. Its 2024 annual report reflects ongoing attention to vulnerable road users, a concern sharpened by crashes like the one on Southeast 17th Street, where a routine morning ride ended in a fatal hit-and-run.