Pick-up truck driver crashes into group of cyclists, leaving two dead and 11 injured

At least two cyclists have been killed and 11 others injured after the driver of a pick-up truck crashed into a large group ride in Arizona yesterday morning.

The devastating collision took place just before 8am on Saturday morning on Cotton Lane Bridge in Goodyear, a large suburb to the west of Phoenix, Arizona’s capital, ABC News reports.

Goodyear Police Department confirmed that a female cyclist was pronounced dead at the scene, while a man, who was also part of the group ride, died shortly after at a local hospital. 11 other cyclists were also transported to three different hospitals with “various injuries”.

Goodyear Police Traffic Alert
Due to a serious injury crash involving a large group of bicyclists, Cotton Lane is closed in both directions from the circle at Estrella Parkway to MC85 while police investigate. Please use alternate routes. This closure will last several hours. pic.twitter.com/FYt1cbrRyS

— Goodyear Police Dept (@Goodyearpolice) February 25, 2023

“We are sad to update that this is a fatal crash with two confirmed deceased cyclists. One adult female and one adult male. This crash involved a single vehicle (pick-up truck). The adult male driver remained at the scene,” a spokesperson for Goodyear Police said.

The circumstances surrounding the tragic collision are currently unclear, as officers continue to investigate the crash, while it is not yet known whether the pick-up truck driver has been arrested.

A police spokesperson did, however, reveal that the weather – which was bright and sunny at the time of the incident – is not believed to have played a role in the crash.

> Drugged driver who killed five cyclists in Michigan jailed for at least 40 years

Yesterday’s devastating collision is unfortunately one in a long line of instances in which motorists in the United States have driven large vehicles into groups of cyclists.

In 2018, a drug-using motorist from Michigan was jailed for a minimum of 40 years after killing five cyclists and seriously injuring four others when he ploughed into a group ride near Kalamazoo.

The cyclists, a group of friends who called themselves ‘The Chain Gang’, were out on their weekly ride when Charles Pickett Junior, aged 52, crashed into them in his pick-up truck in Cooper Township on 9 June 2016.

Pickett was sentenced to five consecutive terms of eight to 15 years for operating while intoxicated causing death.

> Driver who killed two cyclists during charity ride “didn’t understand severity” of incident, says prosecutor

And last July, another Michigan-based group of five cyclists were taking part in the 35th edition of the Make-A-Wish Bicycle Tour, which raises money for critically ill children, when they were hit head-on by the driver of an SUV who was trying to overtake a United Parcel Service vehicle.

One of the cyclists was pronounced dead at the scene, with the second dying from his injuries after being taken by helicopter to a hospital in Grand Rapids.

According to Ionia County District Attorney Kyle Butler, motorist Mandy Benn, who was arrested on two counts of Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death, did not appear to brake or slow down before striking the cyclists, and didn’t appear to understand the extent of what had happened in conversations with police officers, allegedly telling them that the scene “almost looks real”.

Butler also told a court in August that, at the time of her arrest, the 42-year-old’s speech was slurred, she was struggling to balance, and appeared unable to follow instructions.