A father from North Carolina has initiated legal action against what he describes as the “largest hospital company in America” following a tragic incident involving his son. The lawsuit contends that an employee of the hospital company fatally struck his 26-year-old son, a cyclist, with a 20,000-pound box truck before fleeing the scene.

The cyclist, Alexander Rozos, was riding his bike in Asheville on Swannanoa River Road near South Tunnel Road when the incident occurred. According to the legal complaint filed last week in Buncombe County Superior Court, Mauricio Roberto Melgar Delgado, 48, allegedly crossed into the intersection and collided with Rozos in July 2024.

The complaint accuses Delgado of “catching up to, striking, and running over” Rozos. It names HCA Healthcare and Asheville’s Mission Hospital as defendants, in addition to Delgado, who faces charges of felony hit-and-run causing serious injury or death.

The lawsuit claims, “Delgado was an employee, agent, or representative of the HCA Defendants and Mission Hospital, and was acting within the scope of his employment or work.” The document further alleges that on or about July 18, 2024, Delgado had a duty to the public, including Rozos, to drive carefully, maintain proper vehicle control, and follow North Carolina’s traffic laws. It asserts that Delgado breached this duty through negligence, carelessness, and recklessness.

Following the alleged hit-and-run, Asheville Police released a statement detailing the incident. According to the statement, Delgado was “traveling in the same lane and direction” as Rozos at approximately 11:42 a.m. on that Thursday. The police noted, “The driver of the vehicle left the scene before officers arrived,” and tragically, “Rozos succumbed to his injuries while on scene.”

Rozos’ father, Michael Rozos, tells the Asheville Citizen Times that his son was “riding his bike to work and was hit and killed for absolutely no reason.” He claims in his legal complaint that Delgado was “negligent, careless and reckless” by failing to keep a lookout and failing to keep his “20,000-pound large delivery vehicle” under control, according to the father’s attorney Thomas Killoren Jr.

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.”