Tragedy Strikes: Deaths, injuries reported after vehicle hits bicyclists in Michigan

Details are very sketchy but eight cyclists, including children, were hit by a motorist in Kalamazoo County..   Not clear yet how many are dead/injured.

My prayers go out to the victims and their families. 

"Authorities say a vehicle slammed into a group of at least eight bicyclists in western Michigan, leaving an unknown number of people dead and others injured."

Read more at the Tribune site.  

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Permalink Reply by Maurice on June 9, 2016 at 8:03am

Those pics are really upsetting.

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on June 9, 2016 at 7:35pm

It's unbelievable how hard that scumbag hit those people.  It's like a small nuclear weapon destroyed them.  Here's a link to his Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/picketts.garage

He is a scumbag and was a scumbag way before this happened.  Just a pathetic wretch.  A pathetic wretch who nobody did anything about, you worthless Facebook friends, and who killed five people.  I was trying to feel some compassion and understanding for him, some how, some way, but after seeing his Facebook page I won't be trying any more.  He was the face of evil and ignorance way before this happened.    

 

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on June 9, 2016 at 8:35am

The man accused of crashing a pick-up truck into a group of bicyclists in Cooper Township will face second-degree murder charges.

During a probable cause hearing Thursday, a judge authorized charges against Charles Edward Picket Jr. in connection with the Tuesday evening crash in the 5500 block of N. Westnedge Avenue.   Pickett faces five counts of second-degree murder and four counts of reckless driving.

http://fox17online.com/2016/06/09/man-faces-murder-charges-in-kalam...

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on June 9, 2016 at 8:38am

I wonder why no specific charges (attempted murder?) related to the riders he injured? The article doesn't mention any sort of DUI charges, so presumably he wasn't under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on June 9, 2016 at 10:38am

I am surprised as well. "Four counts of reckless driving causing serious impairment" should be four counts of attempted murder. He's facing the possibility of life in prison if convicted. 

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/06/09/kalamazoo...

Permalink Reply by Hannah Bass on June 9, 2016 at 9:30am

I went to college in Kalamazoo.  I have been called every 4 letter word in the dictionary while biking in Kalamazoo.  I'm heartbroken at this news.  Does anyone have a bike they could loan me?  I'll be in Three Rivers Michigan (from Colorado) this weekend (camp reuinion this weekend).  I'd like to take a bike ride around Kzoo while I"m there.  Please email me off list (bass_hannah@yahoo.com).  Thank you.  Here's some local news from Kzoo.

http://media.mlive.com/kzgazette_impact/photo/gracespring-memorial-...

http://blog.mlive.com/mobilenews/kalamazoo/

Permalink Reply by Hannah Bass on June 9, 2016 at 9:34am

A place to make donations to the families of the victims: 

http://www.kalamazoostrongorganization.org/

Permalink Reply by Philip Garofalo on June 9, 2016 at 9:52am

How monstrous. That's all I can say.

Permalink Reply by Hannah Bass on June 9, 2016 at 10:28am

From my friend Matt Hollander in Kalamazoo:

The ride yesterday evening was cathartic, appropriate, and shockingly well attended (the last estimate I saw was over 500 riders). WOOD TV 8 (woodtv.com) has a write up on their website if you need to catch up. Kalamazoo is an amazing community. Thanks to my friends who came by afterwards and to all the people supporting each other (including me) during this difficult time.

I think we set the record for distance travelled by bicycle to the Ride of Silence. I'm on a private so...cial network for touring cyclists and some guys from UMass Amherst contacted me Monday for a place to stay. They are riding to Chicago from Boston and arrived in Kalamazoo right when the Ride of Silence was leaving Arcadia. Joseph Raleigh and I spotted them and they joined us for the rest of the ride before coming back to my house to eat/hang out/pass out.

Something positive before we all get sucked back into the 24 hour news cycle.

Another positive thing is the PEDAL shop ride today at 6:15pm. Meet in the parking lot of their downtown Kalamazoo location. It's a super supportive group ride with both 22 mile "no drop" and 27 mile "ride like a bat out of hell" loops. I predict it will be very well attended and I hope to see you there.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on June 9, 2016 at 10:32am

Thanks for sharing this with us. My heart hurts thinking about the families and the cycling community of Kalamazoo.

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on June 9, 2016 at 7:41pm

Matt Hollander, you know that every cyclist in this city of Chicago, or country of the U.S.A., or the continent of North America, or maybe the world, is with the cyclists and people of Kalamazoo.  

Permalink Reply by Fai Mok on June 9, 2016 at 10:43am

Here are some videos of last night Ride of Silence at K-zoo.  One report estimate 700 participants attended.


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