Friends mourn five bicyclists killed in ‘horrific’ collision on annual Nevada ride

Bicyclists on a yearly group ride of about 20 friends were forced to seek shelter from high winds by coasting behind an escort vehicle on a Nevada highway shoulder, reports say.

Then a box truck drifted off the highway, slamming into the trailing cyclists and escort car from behind at 9:40 a.m. Thursday on U.S. 95 near Searchlight, CBS News reported.

“It’s the worst thing I could ever see in my life,” said cyclist Michael Anderson, a retired police officer who was on the ride, KVVU reported.

Now friends and fellow Las Vegas bicyclists are mourning five people killed in the collision, KLAS reported. Several others were hurt.

“We’re all just shook to the core with this,” said cyclist Paul Mangual, according to the station. “Five people that we know very well are no longer with us.”

“To lose people like this, it’s heartbreaking,” said cyclist Luigi Grullon, KLAS reported.

“These are people who ride 10,000 miles a year. Some race professionally,” said Clay Weeks, a bicycle shop worker who knew many of the cyclists, the Reno Gazette Journal reported. “How did something like this mistakenly happen?”

Weeks said the ride, an annual 130-mile round trip through California and Nevada, also was meant this year to mark the retirement of one of the cyclists, according to the publication.

The Clark County medical examiner identified the dead as Erin Michelle Ray, 39, Michael Todd Murray, 57, Aksoy Ahmet, 48, Thomas Chamberlin Trauger, 57, and Gerrard Suarez Nieva, 41, all of Las Vegas, NBC News reported.

Another cyclist suffered critical injuries in the crash, according to the network.

“It’s a horrific tragedy,” said Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Travis Smaka, NBC News reported. “When you have a beautiful sunny day like it is today and we’ve just lost the lives of five people, it’s just a horrible tragedy.”

The driver of the box truck remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, CBS News reported. The driver showed no signs of impairment, officers said.

“I was devastated to hear this news this morning,” Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak wrote on Twitter. “Kathy and I are sending all our love to the families affected and to those on the scene responding to the situation.”

This story was originally published December 13, 2020 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Friends mourn five bicyclists killed in ‘horrific’ collision on annual Nevada ride."