66° SUNNY, Motorcycle crash victim on life support
Last Modified: Friday, December 5, 2008 at 12:05 p.m.
MANATEE COUNTY - Nikolas Reek aspired to become a chef so he took culinary classes and finally landed a job in the kitchen at the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota.
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Reek, 19, was on his way to the hotel Wednesday, heading south on U.S. 41, when he crashed his motorcycle in an accident that authorities say was caused by a drunk driver.
The Manatee High School graduate is now on life support and has been declared brain dead, his sister says.
Meanwhile, state officials arrested the 43-year-old man who struck Reek's motorcycle in South Manatee County.
Adam Betancourt, of Sarasota, was arrested on charges of DUI and driving without insurance or a driver's license. He was also cited for making an illegal turn that caused the wreck.
It was not known if Betancourt had hired an attorney.
No one answered the phone at his home Thursday afternoon. He remained in jail on a $16,500 bond, according to Sheriff's records.
Betancourt's blood alcohol content was not immediately released by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Reek, riding a Suzuki south on North Tamiami Trail, was near the airport when Betancourt turned left into a McDonald's.
A witness said Reek had no way to avoid the Toyota in his path. Reek struck a rear quarter panel of the car and was sent hurtling through the air.
After being flown to a trauma unit Wednesday afternoon, he was quickly declared brain dead and his family has decided to donate his organs, said a sister, April.
April Reek says her brother was well liked by peers at Manatee High, joined the JROTC program and had planned to go to New York City with his girlfriend in two weeks.
Family members did not know, she said, that Betancourt had been drinking as about two dozen people gathered at St. Petersburg's Bayfront Medical Center on Thursday to comfort Reek's girlfriend and mother.
"I can't believe how many people are here to support us," she said. "It's like everybody that knew him liked him. And everybody is just so devastated by this."
This story appeared in print on page BM1
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Comments
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December 5, 2008 7:46:38 am
this was my cuzin nik.
nik was pronounced dead yesterday morning.
but his body is still alive because of him donating organs. its a really really hard time for our family right now.
please pray for us.
nd together we need to stop drinkin and driving.
we will always love nd miss nik.
but we will never forget him.
please pray.
December 5, 2008 9:22:32 am
ilove.ashleeboo- Thank you to your family for donating his organs. This is the greatest gift you can give- think of how he is still helping others even in the midst of this tragedy. My God bless you and your family in this time of need.
December 5, 2008 12:15:30 pm
WHEN ARE AMERICANS GOING TO STAND UP AND SAY ENOUGH OF THIS SLAUGHTER OF OUR CITIZENS BY UNLICENSED UNINSURED DRUNK ILLEGAL ALIENS!! WE ARE BEING SLAUGHTERED BY THE THOUSANDS YEARLY BY INVADERS THAT SHOULD NOT BE IN THIS COUNTRY. WE HAVE ENOUGH OF OUR OWN DRUNKEN KILLERS ON THE ROADS WHY SHOULD WE HAVE TO PUT UP WITH MILLIONS OF ILLEGALS HERE KILLING US ALSO.
December 5, 2008 12:19:00 pm
10% $1650. TO POST BOND??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! WATCH HIM POST AND SKIP.
December 5, 2008 12:32:15 pm
2 things bertman,
1. what in the world makes you say he is an illegal alien.
#2 I think the bond was set before Nik passed. I do believe the charges are going to change now.
December 5, 2008 3:30:42 pm
slow down and stop speeding.
December 5, 2008 3:37:37 pm
It should be DUI Manslaughter now. It doesn't look good for him. Unbelievable.
Three terrible accidents this week that have changed three families' lives. Two were because of drunk drivers. My co-workers that are related to all three families are really feeling the pain, and at an extremely difficult time.
Take a moment to thank those around you for what they do. Tell those around you how much they mean to you.
RIP rider. Man, a 19 year old, just getting his life started, is killed because someone made some selfish, stupid choices. We need to make DUI penalties more severe to discourage those that continue to make those same stupid decisions.
December 5, 2008 3:51:18 pm
the deceased has a history of speeding.
nothing excuses driving DUI.
nothing excuses speeding.
December 5, 2008 7:15:51 pm
You are making some big jumps in logic to assume that the rider was speeding.
It could just be that the rider was doing the posted 50mph limit.
On the other hand, the driver of the car was in fact drunk (or at least impaired beyond the legal limit)
drill you really need to take a class in Critical Thinking.
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