A ghost bike was placed at Market and Cameron streets in Harrisburg to memorialize bicyclist Leyla Monroy, who died after colliding with a car.
When Harrisburg resident Brandon Basom found out that a local bicyclist died after colliding with a car on June 17, the news hit close to home, as he has also been struck while biking.
But Basom was overtaken with even more grief when he found out that the victim was his friend, Leyla Monroy.
“I was pretty gutted,” he said. “I was lucky to survive. She wasn’t as lucky as I was.”
Community members plan to honor Monroy’s life and seek justice at a memorial on Saturday, July 9, at noon. The gathering will be held near the location of the fatal incident, where Basom and others have placed a ghost bike, at the corner of Market and S. Cameron streets.
Ghost bikes, painted white, honor people who have died in biking accidents, often due to collisions with automobiles.
According to the Harrisburg Police Bureau, Monroy collided with a car that was making a U-turn on the 1100-block of Market Street. She was taken to the hospital in critical condition, passing away on June 19. Police identified Monroy several days after her death. Monroy was the third non-motorist to suffer injury in the area in less than a year.
Monroy’s brother, Andre Monroy, said that his late sister worked as a waitress and was an artist who created jewelry and paintings. He described her as “fun and full of energy.”
“She was a light whenever she came into the room,” he said.
Monroy’s family, hailing from Peru, will attend the memorial event on Saturday. Andre said that the family will remain in the city until they receive justice for his sister and closure on the case, which is still an open investigation.
Additionally, Andre organized a GoFundMe to support Monroy’s family.
At the memorial, bicycle safety advocates like Basom hope to bring awareness to the tragic incident and push for infrastructure to increase pedestrian and bicycle safety in Harrisburg.
“I want to put a face to this issue,” Basom said. “These are people. We have to start taking people seriously who have to get around the city by other means than a car.”
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