Driver Bruised In Speed Chase, Car Obliterated

[Rob]

Driver Bruised In Speed Chase, Car Obliterated

Driver In Chase Has Dismal Driving Record

(CBS4) MIAMI A speeding motorist pursued by police through Miami Shores Thursday morning escaped serious injury even though his car was completely destroyed after hitting a light pole and landing on top of vehicles at a car dealership.

The driver, Gerard Bellafiore, 27, has violations on his driver's license for the past several years. In 2006, he had at least four, including two for speeding and driving without insurance. In other years, he's been cited for speeding in work or school zones, failing to observe traffic signs, failure to pay fines, and one investigation on his driving record by Miami-Dade police.

This, the most recent accident happened about 5 a.m. at Tropical Chevrolet, located at 8800 Biscayne Blvd. Witnesses told the Miami Herald they thought the car in question was a Corvette but there was no way of telling for sure. It was unrecognizable.

Witnesses said the car was speeding south on Biscayne, with police cruisers in pursuit, when the driver lost control and struck the first of several light poles. Debris flew and so did the car, ending wheels up in front of the dealership, splayed atop two cars, at least one of them an SUV.

Pieces of the car littered the roadway and the pavement was slick with gasoline. At least five vehicles on the lot were damaged. The man staggered out of the burning car and was assisted by a woman passerby.

As fire trucks arrived and poured water on the wreckage, the man sat watching from the eastside curb of Biscayne. When the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue truck arrived, a bandage was applied to his head. Then he got up and walked into the rescue truck, which took him to Jackson Memorial Hospital.

A speeding motorist pursued by police through Miami Shores Thursday morning escaped serious injury even though his car was completely destroyed after hitting a light pole and landing on top of vehicles at a car dealership.



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((© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[Rob]

Driver transported to hospital after crashing into car dealership lot

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. (WSVN) -- A car dealership suffered extensive damage after a drunk driver lost control of his car and crashed into several new vehicles.

Officials say the accident unfolded when North Miami Beach Police spotted a Chevy Corvette traveling at a high rate of speed at 125 Street and Biscayne Boulevard. They were accompanied by North Miami Police who continued with them on a 10-block pursuit before breaking away from the chase.

The driver of the Corvette, Gerard Bellafiore, 37, eventually lost control of his vehicle, slamming it into a light pole in the area of Northeast 88 Street and Biscayne Boulevard. The force of the impact caused his car to flip into the air and explode into flames.

When the vehicle finally came to rest, it happened to be on several brand new Sports Utility Vehicles parked at the Tropical Chevrolet dealership. All of the cars, including the Corvette, were completely destroyed.

Bellafiore, who was driving well over 100 miles per hour, is charged with driving under the influence. He sustained minor injuries to the face and was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital. After he was released, officials took him into custody; he is now at the Miami-Dade County Jail.

Thankfully, no one else suffered injuries during the accident.

A spokeswoman for the car dealership said that the damage is repairable. "It's a mess, but nobody was hurt and everything is fixable, so I guess that's what's most important," saidErica Wildstein of Tropical Chevrolet.

It is unclear at this time why North Miami Beach Police joined the pursuit and then halted their aid. Detective Armando Sotero of the North Miami Beach Police Department says his department's involvement in the initial pursuit is unknown. "How our officer was involved, we don't know 100%. He is being interviewed," he said.

Because the Miami Shores Police Department is not large enough to handle an accident of this magnitude, the police chief called upon the Miami-Dade County homicide department to continue the investigation. While there were no deaths, the police chief says they need assistance with the investigation.

Traffic was held up briefly at the time of the accident, however southbound traffic along Biscayne Boulevard was eventually diverted to the northbound lanes.
(Copyright 2007 by The Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. )

[XLR8]

Thank God this IDIOT didn't kill anyone!

And why did he even STILL possess a driver's license??? I confess ignorance of the law when a driver has past multiple violations, but in my book - he should have had to surrender his license after his thrid "strike" in one year.

Put him under the jail.

JMHO of course.

Jane Ann

[Rob]

Video: http://vettetube.com/view_video.php?...3da094e1967a72

[Rob]

MIAMI SHORES

Driver crashes car trying to elude police

A Corvette crashed into a Miami Shores auto dealership. The driver wasn't seriously injured but faces charges.

BY ADAM BEASLEY, ERIKA BERAS AND DAVID OVALLE
dovalle@MiamiHerald.com

Moments after police officers began to approach the driver of a Corvette Thursday morning, he crashed his car into a light pole, went airborne and flattened two SUVs at a Miami Shores auto dealership.

The driver of the obliterated Corvette emerged unscathed and was arrested.

North Miami and North Miami Beach police have both assigned internal affairs detectives to investigate whether their officers followed proper procedures.

Police officers countywide are generally not allowed to chase cars for traffic infractions, focusing instead on suspects of serious felonies.

''It's under investigation by our department and we will release a full account as soon as we are able to outline our exact involvement,'' said North Miami Beach Sgt. Warren Hardison.

A Miami-Dade spokeswoman, Detective Nelda Fonticiella, said that the officers saw the Corvette parked in the middle of the median on Biscayne Boulevard and Northeast 135th Street just before 5 a.m.

DRIVER SPEEDS OFF

When they approached the car, the driver sped off, she said.

''They were trying to catch up with him, but they were so far back they didn't even witness the crash,'' Fonticiella said.

It was still unclear how fast the North Miami and North Miami Beach police cars were going or how far they may have pursued the Corvette before it crashed.

The driver, Gerard Bellafiore, 37, lost control at 88th Street, an awkward V-shaped intersection that merges with Northeast Sixth Avenue headed south.

He struck the first of several light poles and crashed through a concrete pylon. Debris flew and so did the car, landing in front of the dealership, splayed atop two Chevy Suburbans.

North Miami police charged Bellafiore with eluding police. He was taken to Jackson Memorial's Hospital's jail ward before he was booked into Miami-Dade County Jail Thursday afternoon.

Bellafiore staggered away from the wreckage with minor injuries, watching from the curb as firefighters sprayed water on the remains of his sports car.

The wreck happened at Tropical Chevrolet, located at 8880 Biscayne Blvd.

Ari Wildstein, son of Tropical owner Larry Wildstein, got a call from Miami Shores police about 5:30 a.m. telling him of the accident. When he arrived at work, he couldn't believe what he saw.

LOOKED LIKE EXPLOSION

''It looked like an explosion,'' said Wildstein, 29. ``There were cars 50 feet away with sparkplugs through the windshield. I hope he's got good insurance.''

The two Suburbans, along with a Tahoe, were total losses, Tropical Chevrolet officials said. At least 20 vehicles on the lot were damaged. Damages to all of the vehicles topped $300,000, the dealership workers said.

''The big cars up there helped protect the building,'' Wildstein said.

Pieces of the Corvette littered the roadway, and the pavement was slick with gasoline.

The car's alternator traveled another 150 feet -- and up a three-foot embankment -- before coming to rest under a brand new Corvette.

[Erik S. Klein]

"Witnesses told the Miami Herald they thought the car in question was a Corvette but there was no way of telling for sure."

Yeah, no way at all.

Show's you how well built these things are if you can walk away from that!

[Rob]

Man blames police for car dealership crash, threatens to sue


MIAMI SHORES, Fla. (WSVN) -- The man accused of crashing his Corvette into a car dealership bonded out of jail early Friday morning and said he plans to file a lawsuit against police, who he has accused of causing the crash.

Gerard Bellafiore, whose face is battered and bloody, is lucky to have walked away from the accident with only minor injuries. His new Corvette flew across several vehicles at a car dealership before it landed on top of them and burst into flames.

Bellafiore says the police should be blamed for the accident. "What happened was I got hit by a cop car. I was driving my car, and these guys say they were chasing me for blocks," he explained. "A cop car comes from one side, it was the last thing I ever remembered. They broad-sided me, and I spun around."

North Miami Police along with North Miami Beach Police, said their officers noticed Bellafiore sitting in the middle of the median, along Biscayne Boulevard just before 5 a.m. on Thursday, and when they approached him he took off. That's when his car spun around, hit the curb, and flipped into the air. The Corvette landed on top of two sports utility vehicles and damaged 15 to 20 other vehicles at the Tropical Chevrolet dealership.

"They said there was a chase. There was no chase," Bellafiore said.

Now both North Miami and North Miami Beach Internal Affairs are investigating to see if their officers followed proper procedures. "I'm going to have to sue them," said Bellafiore. "I'm missing my watch. They took my watch and all my money, but they left me the keys to my car."

Initially, police said they were going to charge Bellefiore with a felony, but he's only charged with fleeing and eluding a police officer.
(Copyright 2007 by The Sunbeam Television Corp.

[BobbyG]

Nothing more than a three-wheeler for this idiot! What a moronic imbecile! At the very least his punishment for destroying such a beautiful car should have been death, his own..

Three-wheeler: A tricycle has few moving parts and its only propulsion is human hp, which is approximately 1/3hp at best. Top speed; 2mph.

Now the rest of us are safe.

[randomize27]

Going to sue? Excuse me?

Where's the damaged cop car, that caused him to lose control at over a hundred miles an hour?

I wouldn't even trust this moron with a tricycle.

Give him a state ID saying "Not permitted to operate any wheeled vehicles."

I wouldn't let him drive MY Corvette. (See Avatar)