GOODYEAR, AZ — It’s a story of resilience in the cycling community. On Saturday, the West Valley Cycling group, along with many other cycling groups across the Valley, came together for their first ride since the tragic crash that took the lives of two people and hurt many others.
The West Valley Cycling group usually rides every Saturday morning, but on Saturday, February 25, a pickup truck driver crashed into a group of 20 cyclists on the bridge.
Two people died that day and 11 people went to the hospital. As of Saturday, two weeks later, there are still a couple of people in the hospital.
The driver in the crash has yet to be charged as the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office sent the case back to the Goodyear Police Department for additional investigation.
Steven Rhone, who was in the crash, said Saturday was his first ride since then. He still does not have his bike from the incident, so instead, he rode a mountain bike for a portion of the ride with the group.
“Kind of surreal. This is a spot that has bad memories for me but getting better. Karen would want us to continue riding,” Rhone said.
Karen Malisa was one of two who died in the crash. She was a big part of the group, a retired teacher and was loved by many people.
ABC15 previously sat down with the Malisa family to discuss her life, and they say she was an energetic person who gave everything to everyone around her.
David Kero also died at the hospital following the crash. His family told ABC15 he was the “quintessential ambassador for cycling,” and was also always smiling and laughing.
On the two-week anniversary of the crash, many cycling groups from other parts of the Valley came to support West Valley Cycling on their ride. The group then stopped on the bridge where the crash happened and had a prayer for those still injured and for those who passed away.
“You can feel the presence of people who were injured and who are not with us. They’re here to support us all through the ride. Felt very overwhelming for us. For all of us,” said Abhineet Kumar, who also rides with West Valley Cycling.
As the group moves forward, doing their usual Saturday rides from now on, they’ll remember Karen and David where a memorial is marked along the road with a bike and some flowers.
