Man Kneeling at Friend's Memorial Killed in Hit and Run

Michael Berry was visiting a memorial that had been erected on State Road 415
By Steve Huff,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 20, 2023 7:00 PM CDT
Florida Man Dies in Same Spot Friend Did 2 Years Prior
   (Getty Images / Srdjanns74)

A Florida man lost his life at the very spot where a friend had died two years prior—with both having been killed in the same way. Sanford resident Michael Berry, 42, was at the roadside memorial honoring his late friend on April 12 when Berry was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver, reports USA Today. He'd reportedly visited the location on State Road 415 in Osteen regularly over the last two years after his friend Mike Roscoe died there in October 2021 after falling off his motorcycle and being hit by a pair of vehicles. Neither stopped at the scene.

Berry was reportedly on his knees in the median around 9:30pm when he was struck by a vehicle that left the road. His brother Carl Smith told USA Today that Berry would kneel at Roscoe's memorial to talk to his friend. Roscoe's partner, Amy Elam, said that Roscoe and Berry "were best friends," though she "would say more like brothers to each other." She also expressed concern about the area where both men died, telling Click Orlando, "I don’t understand. Is it too dark there? Is it not being patrolled enough by police? You know what I mean? There are no cameras and there’s just no answers."

A GoFundMe set up to handle expenses for his death and memorial says Berry's loss is "heartbreaking" and he leaves behind a fiancee and son. According to USA Today, the Florida Highway Patrol is asking for anyone who has information about Berry's death to come forward. His brother Carl, "Just have a heart and do the right thing." (More hit-and-run stories.)

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