Early on Monday morning, April 22, local champion distance runner Jose Laboy, 55, was out for his usual morning jog on Fair Green Road in West Palm Beach when a BMW M3 struck and killed him.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) say that Laboy was jogging in the direction of the BMW around 5:35 AM. The BMW’s driver was 44-year-old Eric Banks, who later told officers that it was dark when he suddenly noticed Laboy jogging. According to the crash report, Banks also says he tried to swerve, but struck and killed the runner. After the crash, deputies say that Banks drove home, but later returned to the scene of the accident and called 911. At that point, deputies found Laboy dead in the grass.
Laboy’s family members say he was in the habit of running in the area every morning.