Durham cyclist killed in hit-and-run remembered with Ride of Silence
Two weeks ago Sunday, Matt Simpson was hit by a car while riding his bike with his family in Durham. He died a few days later from his injuries, and police are searching for the suspected hit-and-run driver.
About 100 bicyclists gathered at Westover Park Sunday for a Ride of Silence in memory of Simpson, who was riding his bike in the crosswalk on Guess Road adjacent to the park when he was hit on July 10, 2022, in front of his wife and two young children. He died four days later from his injuries.
Allison Simpson, Matt’s widow, spoke to bicyclists before Sunday’s Ride of Silence, which was organized by Bike Durham, an advocacy group for Durham’s cycling community.
“Matt was such a devoted dad to our two children, and he was so devoted to me,” she said through tears. “He was brilliant and creative and funny and silly, and just had — he had done a lot and we built a really beautiful life together.”
Simpson said her husband “will be so missed. And I hope that we can work hard together to keep his — honor his life, the beautiful life that he lived and also keep our community safe so that we can all enjoy it.”
Matt Simpson, 40, was a software engineer who moved to Durham in 2014 from Washington, D.C., The News & Observer previously reported. Durham police are looking for suspected driver Omari Newsome.
On Sunday, a roadside memorial with a “ghost bike” — a bike painted white to represent a bicyclist who was killed — was filled with flowers and notes in Simpson’s memory. One note read: “Matt and Allison and family, you will not be forgotten.”
The memorial is located where Simpson was hit, by the crosswalk on the Ellerbee Creek Trail that goes into Westover Park on Guess Road. There are traffic signs and lights warning drivers to stop for people crossing the street. On Sunday, traffic was stopped in both directions as bicyclists crossed the street, gathered on the path on the other side of Guess Road, and then rode together — in silence, in memory and in community for Simpson.
John Tallmadge, executive director of Bike Durham, said that riding together in silence can be a powerful and emotional experience. “Know that the others that you’re riding with share your grief, share your sense of anger that this could happen here, and your desire to make sure that this doesn’t ever happen again,” Tallmadge said.
This story was originally published July 24, 2022 at 1:59 PM.
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