Type Bicycle accident Date 7 June 2016 | Suspect(s) Charles Pickett Jr. Total number of deaths 5 | |
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Also known as Kalamazoo cycling tragedy, Cooper Township crash Location Cooper Township, Michigan, United States | ||
On June 7, 2016, a pickup truck crashed into a group of cyclists in Cooper Township in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Five cyclists were killed in the accident, and four were injured. Paul Selden, the Director of Road Safety for the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club, called the accident "the worst of its kind in Kalamazoo County, and possibly in the entire state of Michigan".
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Crash and investigation
Witnesses noticed a pickup truck driving erratically around Cooper Township. The pickup was reported to the police, 30 minutes before the crash occurred.
Around 6:30 PM (Eastern Time), on Westnedge Avenue near Markin Glen Park in Cooper Township, the pickup collided with the back of the group of cyclists. The group of bicyclists involved in the accident is called the "Chain Gang". The driver of the pickup escaped, but was soon arrested. Rescue services arrived two minutes after the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead an investigation of the crash because of its overall impact. On July 29, 2016, the NTSB issued its preliminary report on the event. They ruled that the driver of the pickup truck "had used medication and illicit drugs before the crash."
Suspect
The suspect in the bicycle accident was Charles Pickett Jr, a 50-year-old man living in Battle Creek, who drove the pickup in the accident. He was arrested for driving under the influence in Tennessee in 2011, but the charge was dismissed. Investigators have not determined the cause of Pickett's erroneous driving that led to the accident.
The Kalamazoo County Prosecutor charged Pickett with five counts of second-degree murder and four counts of reckless driving.
On Wednesday, June 22, 2016, the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor amended the Charges to included five counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death. The charges were added after the Prosecutors Office reviewed information from the Michigan State Police Crime Lab finished its toxicology report. The Kalamazoo Prosecutor declined to identify the substance which the driver was under.
In addition to those charges the Kalamazoo Prosecutor has also charged Pickett with four counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, which replace the reckless driving charges he had faced.
Reactions
Residents of Kalamazoo, who were affected by a shooting spree of February 2016, sympathized with the victims of the crash. Cyclist groups also mourned for the families of the 5 victims.
Cyclist Lance Armstrong sympathized with the families of the victims of the crash, and in an interview on Fox 17 (WXMI-TV) he called the accident "so tragic".