PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.-- A wild ride in Ponte Vedra and now bicyclists are on edge when it comes to riding down the street.
It was a scary scene in Ponte Vedra. Fire trucks and ambulances were everywhere. Cars were smashed up and a bicyclist was hit by an SUV. Sheriff's deputies say Andrea Zampatti was driving recklessly. She hit cop cars and people and wouldn't stop.
When she hit a bicyclist it sent a shock through the cycling community. "A cyclist never wins a battle with a car," said Jeff Kopp. Kopp owns Trek bicycle shop. He says many of his clients have come in talking about what happened in Ponte Vedra. "There's a lot of cyclist that got rattled from this. We all ride those roads everyday being here at the beach," said Kopp.
He just wants to know why a person wouldn't even stop. Action News tracked down new details on exactly who is Andrea Zampatti. We found out, she's a business owner. She has a website for a Christian lifestyle clothing company. She also owns a credit card processing company.
But right now she's facing serious charges. Local bike groups are blogging about it on their websites. Even though Kopp says this was a random accident, he hopes it makes people pay more attention when they're on the roads with bikes. "We are treated like cars. We ride the same direction, and ride on the road. It's scary when someone gets hit on the roads you ride everyday," said Kopp.
The St Johns Sheriff's Office has no idea why Zampatti was there Friday. Zampatti is still in jail. Action News called her home in Canton, Georgia. A man who answered the phone had no comment. Zampatti is charged with aggravated assault and battery on a law enforcment officer. Police say alcohol was a factor.
