Left inset: Alexander Rozos (Groce Funeral Home and Cremation Service). Right inset: Mauricio Roberto Melgar Delgado (Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office). Background: A “ghost bike” memorial set up in Asheville, N.C., where Mauricio Roberto Melgar Delgado allegedly killed cyclist Alexander Rozos in a hit-and-run (Facebook/Andrea Roubal).
A North Carolina father has initiated a lawsuit against what he describes as the “largest hospital company in America” following a tragic incident where his 26-year-old son, a cyclist, was fatally struck by a 20,000-pound box truck, allegedly driven by an employee of the company, who then fled the scene.
According to the legal complaint filed in Buncombe County Superior Court, Alexander Rozos was cycling in Asheville on the 300 block of Swannanoa River Road near South Tunnel Road in July 2024. The complaint alleges that Mauricio Roberto Melgar Delgado, 48, drove through the intersection and collided with Rozos. The lawsuit was filed by Rozos’ father, and it claims that Delgado did not stop after the collision.
The lawsuit names HCA Healthcare and Asheville’s Mission Hospital as defendants, in addition to Delgado, who faces charges of felony hit-and-run resulting in serious injury or death. The complaint asserts that Delgado was acting within the scope of his employment with the hospital company when the incident occurred.
“Delgado caught up to, struck, and ran over [Rozos],” the legal document states. It further argues that Delgado, as an employee of the hospital, had a responsibility to operate his vehicle safely and in compliance with North Carolina traffic laws. The complaint accuses him of breaching this duty through negligent, careless, and reckless actions.
The Asheville Police Department issued a press release detailing the alleged hit-and-run, stating that Delgado was traveling in the same direction as Rozos at approximately 11:42 a.m. on that Thursday. The statement notes that the driver left the scene before authorities arrived, and Rozos succumbed to his injuries at the site of the incident.
Michael Rozos, the victim’s father, expressed his grief to the Asheville Citizen Times, saying his son was simply commuting to work when his life was tragically cut short. The legal filing, represented by attorney Thomas Killoren Jr., alleges that Delgado failed to maintain control of his “20,000-pound large delivery vehicle” and did not keep a proper lookout, contributing to the fatal incident.
The complaint alleges Delgado unsafely passed Rozos “by overtaking and passing bicycle proceeding in the same direction without passing at safe distance to the left thereof and/or by driving to the right side of the roadway before being safely clear of the overtaken bicycle,” per the document.
Delgado is also accused of “following too closely” and “failing to decrease speed as necessary to avoid colliding” with Rozos.
“Plaintiff’s Decedent suffered severe conscious pain and suffering in the final moments of his life,” the complaint says.
HCA Healthcare and Mission Hospital are accused of negligence and “failing to have in place policies and procedures to train and/or monitor their drivers,” while failing to enforce the ones that do exist, according to the complaint.
Michael Rozos and his lawyer allege that the hospital and parent company did not have an “adequate safety program for the safety and protection of the motoring public.” Delgado is accused of not having the “proper training and experience to be able to navigate” a large delivery vehicle “in a safe and effective manner,” nor did he have the appropriate “credentials and skills” to operate the box truck.
“HCA Defendants are vicariously liable for the negligent, careless, and reckless acts and omissions of their employee/agent,” the complaint concludes.
The Rozos family is seeking a jury trial and damages to cover hospital bills, funeral expenses, and compensation for the pain and suffering Delgado has allegedly caused.
Delgado was indicted in Buncombe County Superior Court and his case is still pending. HCA and Mission Hospital did not respond to Law&Crime’s requests for comment on Monday.
The Citizen Times reports that Rozos was a former hockey player for the South Carolina military college, The Citadel, and planned to join the Army before his death. He self-published a book on Amazon, “How To Leave An Impact On The World, Made Simple,” which was reportedly a fitness guide that describes various concepts of nutrition, psychology, and personal health while encouraging people to live a healthy lifestyle.
A day after his death, Rozos’ mother, Andrea Roubal, posted on Facebook about him being “senselessly killed” by Delgado, whom she described as the “driver who hit him” and “disappeared into broad daylight.”
Roubal wrote, “Thank you to those who helped Alex yesterday as he was lying in the road and who were there with him protecting him until the first responders got there. Alex loved life! He appreciated the little things. Most of us don’t take the time to appreciate the little things in life. He did! … Just rips my heart out thinking about it.”
