5 bicyclists killed, 4 injured after truck hits group on 'retirement ride' in Nevada

Ed Komenda, Reno Gazette Journal

LAS VEGAS – On a highway ride to celebrate a cyclist's retirement, five bicyclists were killed and four others were injured in a crash involving a truck, according to authorities.

The Thursday morning crash happened on U.S. 95 south of Boulder City, according to Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman Jason Buratczuk.

A box truck struck a group of about 20 bicyclists. The vehicle remains on scene as authorities investigate what caused the crash.

"It doesn't appear to be impairment," Buratczuk said. "It appears to be a tragic accident."

Of the four bicyclists injured, one of the riders was flown to a hospital in a helicopter in critical condition.

It appeared the bicyclists were part of an organized ride, Buratczuk said. They had a chase vehicle with them with flashers.

U.S. Highway 95 southbound will be closed till about 6 p.m. Thursday, according to Nevada Department of Transportation spokesman Tony Illia.

Clay Weeks, an employee at the Pro Cyclery bike shop, knew many of the bicyclists involved in the tragic crash.

"They were on a retirement ride for one of the community cyclists," Weeks said. "We've talked to a couple people who were on the ride. Obviously everybody is super upset and distraught. It's pretty horrific that something like this would happen. There's really no words."

The tragedy startled Southern Nevada's close-knit bicycling community.

"We see everybody on all these rides on a regular basis," Weeks said. "We all ride together."

Weeks is familiar with the stretch of road near Searchlight where the crash unfolded. On Thursday, he struggled to understand how a crash could happen there.

"That shoulder on the side of that highway is wide enough to fit three cars," Weeks said. "We don't really know how somebody managed to get that far off the road. These were all very very experienced cyclists. It's not like they accidentally rode off and into the road. These are people who ride 10,000 miles a year. Some race professionally. How did something like this mistakenly happen?"

Follow reporter Ed Komenda on Twitter: @ejkomenda

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This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Nevada highway bike crash: 5 bicyclists killed near Boulder City

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