Cyclist, a White House staffer, dies on charity ride after collision with a car

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/cyclist-participating-in...

A White House staff member was killed Saturday in Howard County while taking part in a bicycle ride to raise money to combat cancer.

Police said Jacob Thomas Brewer, 34, of Alexandria, died in the Mount Airy area about 3:40 p.m. when his bicycle went out of control at a sharp curve on Old Frederick Road. It crossed the double yellow line and collided with an oncoming vehicle, police said.

The Web site for the Ride to Conquer Cancer reported “a fatal accident involving” a participant in the two-day, 150-mile ride, which began Saturday in the District. The Web site had warned that roads would be open to traffic.

Brewer’s mother said he was in the fundraising ride because of a close friend who was a cancer patient. He “lived life large and tended to live life for other people,” Lori Brewer Collins said.

On the White House Web site, Brewer, known as Jake, is listed as a senior policy adviser in the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, which is part of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The ride would go on, Brewer’s mother said. He was a man who could “make things happen,” she said, and that was what “he would have wanted.”

Opening ceremonies for the ride were scheduled for 7 a.m. Saturday at RFK Stadium, where the ride was to conclude Sunday.


Views: 210

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on September 20, 2015 at 6:55am
From the comments of the participants in this event, it seems that this was not a well planned route. Each rider may sign a waiver and be responsible for his own actions, but every bit of planning with the cyclists' safety in mind helps.

Clrview

10:58 AM CDT

So sad. Prayers to the family. I road too, and to be frank, the course set up was not well thought out. The route out of DC was not only treacherous with almost nonexistent DC police support, but the terrain easily had to have crushed half the field with very steep grade hills mixed with required stops. My cardio and caloric burn were off the charts an hour into the ride. A number of riders were commenting on their total exhaustion so quickly out of the gate. I explained what was actually happening. Furthermore, there were numerous moments where riders were interspersed with cars at numerous intersections. An alternate would have been out Independence to Rock Creek and out to Kensington and beyond or up the Crescent Trail. 
I could go on, but when three riders leave by ambulance and then this unfortunate tragedy, the outcomes speak to the issue of the route selection, and detail in advance for the riders to be able to prepare.

RSS

Groups

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service