CLOVER, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — On Friday afternoon, the York County coroner identified 57-year-old Ray Lail Jr. as the bicyclist hit and killed by a driver on S.C. Highway 55 early Thursday morning.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol says the cyclist took steps to stay safe.
They’re still investigating the crash as safety advocates say it’s a reminder to drivers that they need to be careful around cyclists.
Corbin Smith is a member of Charlotte Urbanists, a bicycle safety group.
He lives in south Charlotte, where it’s pretty easy for him to get around on his bicycle with bike lanes and greenways in the area.
“Most trips that I take to get groceries, or things like that, I take my bike,” said Corbin Smith.
That’s far from the case along Highway 55 in York County where Andrew Smith lives.
“I try to stay in the developed sidewalks, over at the school but not on the road, you can see the traffic moves so quickly here, you couldn’t get out of the way if you wanted to, very dangerous in my opinion,” said Andrew Smith.
Troopers say Thursday morning, around 6:30 while it was still dark out, Lail was riding his bicycle along Highway 55 near Soaring Eagles Road, when investigators say a driver hit Lail from behind, killing him.
“I mean that’s honestly the most terrifying accident that I can think of being a cyclist, because if I’m on a road and someone’s coming up from behind me, I’m not going to know they’re coming and in that case if I’m on let’s say this road and someone hits me from behind, that sounds like a case where the cyclist is doing everything they’re supposed to doing,” said Corbin Smith.
There are no bicycle lanes on the stretch of Highway 55 where the crash happened.
“If a bike’s all you have, there is no good time either, there’s traffic here all day,” said Andrew Smith.
The Highway Patrol says Lail had lights on his bicycle.
“A lot of the conversation goes to what should the cyclist have been doing, but we really need to ask what should the motorist have been doing?” said Corbin Smith.
No charges have been filed, but the Highway Patrol says the crash is still under investigation.
