A southwestern Michigan community is unveiling a memorial to the victims and survivors of one the country's deadliest vehicle-bike crashes. The memorial will be revealed Thursday evening near Kalamazoo, in the area where a reckless driver in 2016 crashed his pickup truck into a pack of bicyclists, killing five. The cyclists were part of a club called the Kalamazoo Chain Gang, which planned the memorial and subsequent 25-mile ride.
The Kalamazoo Gazette reports the cost is $20 per rider. Proceeds go toward memorial maintenance and bicycle advocacy. The motorist, Charles Pickett, was convicted last month of second-degree murder. There was no dispute he swallowed painkillers and other drugs before driving, although his lawyers argued murder charges were excessive. The dead were three women and two men, ages 42 to 74.
