PHOENIX (AP) — Brian Lemke tries to be a positive person and sees the most mundane tasks as successes.
“This year we put up Christmas lights and used an extension ladder. Processing it made her “really feel better.”
An avid cyclist, he’s made an astonishing recovery a year and a half after being seriously injured when a truck drove through the crowd at a race in eastern Arizona. A 36-year-old fellow cyclist, Jeremy Barrett, died in an accident. According to eyewitnesses, several other people were injured, and several riders were flying left and right.
Driver Sean Michael Chock, 37, was sentenced to silence on November 9, according to Navajo County Superior Court records. Under the plea deal, Chock will serve a total of 26 and a half years in prison. He was sentenced to 16 years for second-degree murder and 10 1/2 years for felony aggravated assault. His sentences in eight other counts of aggravated assault are scheduled to be executed at the same time.
In a statement about the impact on victims, some survivors said they were unable to work, ride a bike or retain their short-term memory.
“I think he should be put away forever. Hopefully this will come close to that,” Lemke said. I think it looks like.”
Tucson cyclist and author Kathryn Burteen, who has been friends with Barrett for 15 years, is pleased that Chock has pleaded guilty.
“I hope he understands the seriousness of his actions,” Bertine said. “We need to move away from the term ‘accident’ used when cyclists die. Not an accident. Negligence. “
Attorney Bruce Griffen, who was representing Chock at the time the ruling was handed down, declined to comment when contacted Wednesday.
Berteen hopes the ruling will lead to better laws to hold accountable those who disregard cyclist safety. I pointed out that my friend Gwen Inglis, a prominent cyclist champion of the state, had passed away. Inglis, 46, beat and killed Riding during training by a driver suspected of being intoxicated.
The driver was sentenced to eight years in prison. The family then pursued the driver in civil court. A jury last month awarded Inglis’ family his $353 million.
He understands that cyclists have an “inherent risk,” but doesn’t allow drivers to be reckless, Bertine said.
“We want state and federal law to give mandatory sentences to drivers when a cyclist dies,” she said.
In the crash in Arizona, cyclists gathered in the mountain town of Show Low on Saturday morning for the annual 58-mile (93-kilometer) Bike-the-Bluff competition. Hundreds of people attended his race on the State Championship Road, which determines the Arizona state champion for the year in categories such as Pro, Men, Women, and Teens.
Shortly before 7:30 a.m., officials say a truck with chocks was rammed. The pickup then crashed into a telephone pole. Witnesses said the cyclist began banging on the window and yelling at the driver to get off. Chock drove off in a police chase. He was shot by a police officer outside a hardware store. he has since recovered.
According to online court records in Maricopa County, including Phoenix, a person matching Chock’s name and age has a history of being arrested on charges of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and assault.
“I only remember looking through the windshield…I couldn’t even see his face,” Lemke said.
He had a broken rib on his left side, a punctured lung, a broken vertebra, a major bruise on his lower back, and other injuries. For two months he could only sleep standing up because it hurt when he lay down.
Even today, Lemke still hurts from time to time. He grieves for the loss of Barrett and for his cyclist friend, who is likely to be injured and never ride a bike again. At the same time, he’s grateful to be riding again, whether it’s racing or with his wife.
“I still get scared every time I hit the road. I know I’m taking risks,” Lemke said.
