Members of the local bicycling community place a ghost bike along S. Cameron Street, near Paxton Street, where a bicyclist was fatally struck Tuesday.
On Wednesday, community members paid tribute to a bicyclist who was killed in a fatal accident in Harrisburg.
According to Harrisburg police, a 29-year-old female bicyclist was struck and killed by a truck on Tuesday at about 6:15 p.m. near the intersection of Cameron and Paxton streets.
Police responded to the scene and spoke with the motorist, who was cooperative, according to Harrisburg Communications Director Matt Maisel. The female was transported to a local hospital, but later died as a result of her injuries.
Initial investigation showed that the vehicle was traveling south on Cameron Street with a solid green traffic light, according to police. The bicyclist was traveling west across Cameron Street when the collision occurred, police said. According to the bureau, the investigation is still ongoing.
S. Cameron Street, near the intersection at Paxton Street
On Wednesday afternoon, members of the bicycling community placed a ghost bike at the site of the incident to honor the victim. Ghost bikes, painted white, are used to honor those who have died in biking accidents, often due to collisions with automobiles.
“I’m incredibly frustrated,” said Brandon Basom, a Harrisburg resident and advocate for improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
Basom said he was riding his bike home from nonprofit Recycle Bicycle in Allison Hill, where he volunteers, when he came across the scene of Tuesday’s fatal crash.
Since 2021, there have been four other deaths of pedestrians and bicyclists nearby on Cameron Street. Just earlier this month, on Dec. 9, two pedestrians were stuck at the Market Street intersection. One of them, a woman, died from her injuries. In June, bicyclist Leyla Monroy, 36, was killed after colliding with a car that was making a U-turn near the same intersection. In August of 2021, Floyd Kelly was struck and killed near the intersection, and the following month, Victor Alvarez was hit and killed.
Members of the bicycle community, like Basom, hope to see improvements to dangerous roadways in the city, making them safer for non-motorists.
“It’s pretty traumatic,” Basom said of the most recent accident. “If nothing happens, it’s more traumatic.”
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Harrisburg Police at 717-558-6900. Tips and information can also be submitted via the CRIMEWATCH website.
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