Cycling News

Authorities share more details on motorist who drove into Arizona group ride, killing two

The Highway in Goodyear, Arizona

On Monday, the Goodyear police and officials shared more details about the collision on Saturday that killed two cyclists and injured 17 others. At a news conference, Goodyear Mayor Joe Pizzillo addressed the tragedy where a driver in a Ford F-250 pickup drove into the group ride.

Goodyear grieves

“We have a tight-knit cycling community, so this has deeply affected many across the West Valley,” Pizzillo said to AZ Central. “But a tragedy like this affects the entire community of Goodyear.”

Pizzillo said the police are still investigating how the incident occurred. Authorities confirmed that Pedro Quintana-Lujan, 26, was driving south on Cotton Lane Bridge at 7:57 a.m. when he drove into the cyclists. Quintana-Lujan told police that his steering column was locked and the vehicle started drifting to the right, and into the riders.

Police investigation ongoing

According to court documents, he ultimately took his foot off the gas, regaining control after he had driven into the riders. He then stopped in the middle of the bridge and waited for first responders to arrive. The accused then said he estimated his speed to be between 75 and 80 km/h.

Goodyear Police chief Santiago Rodriguez was asked to share more details about what they’ve learned. “I am being straightforward with you. We don’t even have all the answers we need to finish this investigation yet,” he said.

The two cyclists killed were Goodyear resident Karen Malisa, 61, and David Kero, 65, who was visiting from Michigan.

Rodriguez said there was no evidence the crash was intentional. Quintana-Lujan also gave a blood test to detect if he was impaired at the time, but the results are not yet available.

Quintana-Lujan is now facing two two counts of manslaughter as well as three counts of aggravated assault, 18 counts of endangerment and two counts of causing serious injury or death by a moving violation.

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…