PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — *Story updated with additional information from police.*
A Port St. Lucie family is demanding answers and accountability, raising concerns about how police handled the investigation into a fatal motorcycle crash that claimed the life of their loved one.
Oscar Carrasco, 27, died on April 21, 2024, while riding his motorcycle northbound on U.S. 1 near Walton Road. According to police, a southbound driver attempted to make a left turn into a Walgreens parking lot and failed to yield, colliding with Carrasco and killing him.
WATCH: CARRASCO'S FAMILY BEGS FOR ANSWERS
The family reached out to WPTV, looking for help understanding why no criminal charges were filed, why surveillance footage was never obtained, and why it took 10 months for police to interview any witnesses.
In response, the Port St. Lucie Police Department told WPTV that an internal review of the investigation is underway, which could lead to policy changes.
“He always helped me. He was a good son,” said Rosemarie Carrasco, Oscar’s mother. “He had dreams. He was only 27,” added Oscar’s sister, Aliyha Carrasco.
Rosemarie said her son was passionate about riding and took motorcycle safety seriously. The family’s grief deepened after learning that the driver involved would not face criminal charges. “Something happened there. It was still daylight—how did you not see my son?” she asked.
Police cited the driver for failure to yield, and a judge suspended his driver’s license for 10 years.
State Attorney Tom Bakkedahl explained the legal standards for criminal charges in fatal crashes. “Vehicular homicide requires a pattern of reckless driving—behavior so negligent it’s reasonably certain to cause death,” he said.
He contrasted that standard with distracted driving. “A driver looking down at their phone and causing a fatal crash—tragic, horrible—but under Florida law, it’s not a crime. It’s considered careless driving with a death, which is an enhanced civil infraction.”
At the scene, the driver showed no signs of impairment and was not required to submit a blood sample. However, Rosemarie questioned why more wasn’t done to secure surveillance footage.
Police told WPTV that they attempted to obtain video from a nearby fast-food restaurant. However, there were no employees on-site authorized to release the footage, and the manager with access was reportedly out of the country. By the time he returned, the video had been recorded over.
Police detailed the following specifics in an email to WPTV:
Officers made the initial attempt for video the day after the crash and then made several attempts within the first week and then again towards the end of the month. The problem being that the manager who had access to the video (Taco Bell) was allegedly out of the country during these attempts. Months later, the manager returned and contacted the investigating officer, but the video from the day of the crash had been recorded over by that time. Upon review of the camera angle, it appeared that a large palm tree blocked the area of the crash and the video would likely not have been of value.
The department also confirmed it did not interview a key witness until 10 months after the crash—and only after Rosemarie filed a formal complaint. That complaint prompted police to review 911 call records, which led them to the witness. However, by then, the case had already gone through the court system. Police said the witness’s information would not have changed their findings or resulted in criminal charges.
Police detailed the following specifics in an email:
The witness was not known to the officers until later in the investigation. We put out the request for witnesses or anyone with video to come forward on both our media release and on our social media post of the crash, but no one came forward. The investigation was eventually closed and the citation was issued to the at fault driver. Around January 2025, the mother spoke with one of our lieutenants regarding the investigation, so the investigation was reviewed. It was during that review that a name and phone number was located in the computer aided dispatch notes of the call screen. The investigating officer contacted the person and identified that person as the witness who had left the scene as stated above. The witness gave a statement which did not change the outcome of the investigation, but confirmed what was already known.
Port St. Lucie Police are still reviewing Rosemarie’s complaint to determine if any policy changes could be warranted.
In an effort to prevent future tragedies, WPTV also contacted the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) on the family’s behalf, asking if safety improvements were possible at the crash site.
FDOT confirmed it conducted a site visit in January but found no visual obstructions. Despite two crashes occurring at the location within 18 months, the agency said it found “no discernible crash pattern” that would warrant traffic control changes at this time.
