Police have released additional information about the deadly crash in Goodyear, AZ that left two cyclists dead and sent 11 others to the hospital. The driver of the pickup truck, Pedro Quintana-Lujan, stuck a group of 20 cyclists as they were riding across the Cotton Lane Bridge at 8 a.m. last Saturday morning.
He remained at the scene, was arrested and has been charged with two counts of manslaughter, three counts of aggravated assault, 18 counts of endangerment and two counts of causing serious injury or death by a moving violation.
Did the driver do it on purpose?
On Monday, Goodyear Police Chief Santiago Rodriguez said in a statement that the crash, while still under investigation, appears to have been accidental, according to ABC News.
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“There is no indication that his was an intentional act or anything but an isolated incident,” Rodriguez told reporters during a press conference.
The driver told police he was traveling over the bridge after picking up materials for his job. The charging document released by police on Monday indicated that Quintana-Lujan claims the pickup truck’s steering locked, which caused him to drift into the right lane, then into the bike lane. He says he then heard “a sound similar to metal.” He is scheduled for a March 3 court appearance.
Names of the crash victims released
The names of the two victims of the crash have been released.
Karen Malisa, 61, was a local cyclist and middle school math teacher, according to NPR. She died at the scene of the crash.
The second victim was cyclist David Kero, 65, who was visiting the Goodyear area from Michigan. He died at the hospital after succumbing to his injuries.
One unidentified cyclist was still hospitalized on Monday in critical condition.
Natascha Grief got her first bike shop job before she was old enough to drink. After a six-year stint as a mechanic, earning a couple pro-mechanic certifications and her USA Cycling Race Mechanics license, she became obsessed with framebuilding and decided she wanted to do that next. After Albert Eistentraut literally shooed her off his doorstep, admonishing that if she pursued framebuilding she will be poor forever, she landed an apprenticeship with framebuilder Brent Steelman in her hometown of Redwood City, CA. After that, she spent several years working for both large and not-so-large cycling brands. Somewhere in there she also became a certified bike fitter. Natascha then became a certified personal trainer and spent nine years honing her skills as a trainer and coach, while also teaching Spin. During the dumpster fire that was the year 2020, she opened a fitness studio and began contributing regularly to Runner’s World and Bicycling as a freelance writer. In 2022, she joined the staff of Bicycling as News Editor.
