Travel

Five Cyclists Dead After Truck Drives Into ‘Retirement Ride’ in Nevada

‘SUPER UPSET AND DISTRAUGHT’

A group of around 20 cyclists were on a celebratory ride that turned tragic Thursday morning.

121020-nevada-cyclist-cheat_oxljro
DAVID BECKER/AFP via Getty Images

Five cyclists are dead and four others injured after a tragic accident near Boulder City, Nevada. About 20 people were riding on U.S. Route 95 to celebrate one cyclist’s retirement when a box truck hit a car that was trailing behind the group around 9:40 a.m. That collision ended with five people being pronounced dead at the scene. One person was flown to the hospital in critical condition.

The Reno Gazette Journal spoke with Clay Weeks, an employee at the Pro Cyclery Shop who knew many of the cyclists on Thursday’s ride. “That shoulder on the side of that highway is wide enough to fit three cars,” Weeks said. “We don’t really know how somebody managed to get that far off the road. These were all very very experienced cyclists. It’s not like they accidentally rode off and into the road.” Weeks said the cycling community is close-knit in the area. He said everyone he talked to was “super upset and distraught.”

Read it at The Reno Gazette Journal