On June 17th, Michael Hughes was struck by a pick up truck towing a trailer near the intersection of 36th and Falls Road in Hampden. On June 24th, Michael succumbed to his injuries and passed away. (Baltimore Brew: Hampden bike crash victim, who faced many struggles, recalled as a generous soul).
Over the past week Bikemore has been in touch with the family, connecting them to resources to deal with this difficult time. We are also in touch with police as we wait to learn if charges will be pressed against the driver, and to begin the difficult work of reforming how police respond to and report crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists. This was work that began before the death of Michael Hughes, but it takes on a new sense of urgency knowing that reporting is critical when families are navigating the complex legal and emotional challenges when you lose a loved one to traffic violence.
We will continue to work with the family on next steps. Our stance has always been to respect the family’s wishes when it comes to how we both discuss and honor the death of someone they cared for deeply. Please be patient as we work to ensure any action taken on our part reflects the wishes of Michael’s family.
This is undeniably the most difficult but humbling part of our job. We are thankful that, because of your support, we are able to advocate for families in this time of need. Nearly every death that happens on our roadways is preventable. Designs that fail to protect our most vulnerable road users and that fail to slow the speed of cars all contribute to tragedies like Michael’s death. Each time the City resurfaces a road, applies for transportation funding, or even responds to an injury or death of anyone using the road — whether driving a car, riding a bike, crossing the street — is a chance to do better. There is no doubt that the City could do better and we will continue to fight for streets that are built to keep people safe.