Two of the injured are said to be in a critical condition. Full data for 2015 haven’t been reported, but the NHTSA said the number of deaths appeared to be trending higher.
Advertisement
St. Thomas More will hold a community prayer service at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 9, at the church, 421 Monroe St., in support of the victims, families and the community.
The bicyclists had been riding as a group.
Five people died when a pickup truck struck a group of bicyclists in Michigan Tuesday.
Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting has said police received calls of a pickup traveling erratically just prior to the group getting hit.
Witness Markus Eberhard, who often fishes at the location, was walking out of a local store when another person told him to look out.
Police were having trouble identifying some of the victims apparently because they weren’t carrying I.D.
“I saw a bunch of bikes hit the front of his truck and a couple of them flew”, Eberhard told WOOD-TV.
Arika Kruger, a witness, said she heard “a pop and a really big crash noise”.
All of the survivors were seriously injured, Getting said. Multiple police and fire agencies remained on the scene for hours after the crash. “Senseless tragedy. I can’t even believe this is really true”.
Bicyclist Bob Strader, 74, of Texas Township said the stretch of two-lane road is one he prefers not to use. Kruger said it sustained heavy front-end damage. He was found a short distance away from the crash police and is in custody.
A 50-year-old western MI man was arrested.
Bob Coffman, who said the force of the crash sent one of the victims’ bicycles into his yard, placed the small wooden cross at the scene. He says authorities were searching for the driver, but there was no active pursuit at the time of the accident. Charges will be filed after police reports are completed, according to Getting.
Advertisement
Paul Seldenof the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club believes that the whole community needs to be educated on how to ensure that bicyclists are safe on the road. All were being treated at area hospitals.
