Reflectors do something, but not much. Cycling at night is fricking dangerous at the best of times, and cycling at night without lights relying on your reflectors is damn near suicidal (and also illegal in Florida where this story takes place):

http://www.floridabicycle.org/rules/bikelaw.html

If this dude was really riding without lights in the middle of the night then his fate seems more Darwin Award-worthy than anything else.