A bicyclist died in a Midtown accident just after midnight Tuesday. William Curry Jr., 36, was struck at the northwest corner of Tudor Road and C Street.
"As a bicyclist, the whole community is really sad. What happens to one bicyclist really happens to us all," said Dawn Groth, Vice President of Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage.
According to APD, a 1997 Toyota Camry driven by Anchorage resident Melinda Talaro, 59, was turning right onto Tudor with a green light when it hit Curry. Police say Curry was possibly in the crosswalk when he was caught underneath the Camry, then dragged about 60 feet before the car stopped; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to police, being dragged for long distances is not uncommon in vehicle-cyclist collisions.
"The stimulus of, 'Oh my goodness, I just hit someone' processes its way through," said APD Sgt. Glen Daily. "By the time it gets through from your head to your foot to go to the accelerator to the brake, you might have two, three seconds before she came to a full stop."
Daily said Curry did everything he could to make himself visible to other traffic.
"He's got reflective clothing, you may be able to see a flashing unit that bicyclists have, he's got a helmet on, proper equipment -- it might just be an unfortunate series of events," Daily said.
Curry's friends and family say he used Endomondo, a workout-tracking website, to update his cycling trips in real-time. A page marked with Curry's name shows a route timestamped for early Tuesday morning that begins in the Turnagain neighborhood and heads east for just under three miles -- before it ends at Tudor and C.
According to avid cyclists, the number of people opting to ride their bikes in the Anchorage Bowl is growing.
"Every year I see more and more people, it's just amazing because when I first started community 18 years ago, I'd hardly ever see another bicycle, in the winter, especially," said Corbin Haldane.
Haldane bikes to work nearly every day but that hasn't always been easy or safe. "I've been hit three times. The same circumstances in all three occasions where there will be a car at a stoplight turning right and I'll come up to the car and I won't just go, I'll look and I'm always dead sure I'm making eye contact, that this person will see me and then I start to go and they've hit the accelerator and hit me every time," said Haldane.
Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage advocates for people to choose two wheels over four, claiming it promotes a healthier lifestyle and improves the community. The group strives to educate both bicyclists and motorists about sharing the road.
"We really encourage bicycles to follow the rules of the road and we're really encouraging motorists to look out for bicyclists, 'watch out for us, we're coming,'" Groth told Channel 2.
Police and bicyclists agree: whether on a bike or driving in a car, it will take everyone on the road being more alert to prevent future deadly accidents like what happened Tuesday in Midtown.
"A bicycle against a car is just not a winning combination at all," said Haldane, "It's tragic."
