Last month, more than 100 people showed up at an impromptu memorial for a 51-year-old bicyclist killed in a hit and run.
For the late Jeff Dusenbury, cycling was clearly one of his favorite pastimes, and he was an experienced cyclist: his friends said, according to the Alaska Dispatch News, that “it was nothing” for him to pedal from his home to Girdwood or Eklutna Lake.
He was known as a very safety-conscious rider. This is why family, friends, and neighbors of Dusenbury were shocked when Dusenbury was hit and killed on a quiet, residential street just a few blocks from his home.
When Dusenbury was killed, he was on his way to the Abbott Road ball fields, where he was meeting friends for a three- to four-hour training ride. He was training for the Soggy Bottom 100 endurance race.
According to police, the 17-year-old driver of a pickup truck backed into him and then left the scene of the accident. Charges are still pending, and the driver’s name has not been reported by the media because she is a minor.
Dusenbury’s memorial was attended by his wife and daughter as well as many members of the community. He was remembered as a passionate cyclist, who cheerfully supported riding events in Anchorage and could often by seen tuning the neighborhood kids’ bikes. He was also remembered as a loving father and husband, and a caring person who will be sincerely missed in the community.
At Kelley & Canterbury LLC, we are always saddened to hear about the loss of life that can result from a bicycle accident. Tragedies like these are all too common: bicycles don’t have the protection that a car provides, which means that collisions caused by inattentive, negligent, or even drunk drivers can be deadly.
Our thoughts are with the Dusenbury family during this difficult time, and we hope that they receive justice.
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