Student from Chesterfield killed on cross-country bicycle ride
Paige Hicks, 21, a Brown University student originally from Chesterfield, was killed in a tragic tractor trailer accident while she was bicycling across the country for charity.
According to various media reports, Hicks had left Providence, Rhode Island, location of Brown University, five weeks ago on a trip to Seattle for the Bike and Build charity. She stopped Tuesday in South Dakota to check messages on her cell phone. Hicks and a fellow cyclist pulled off to the shoulder to avoid traffic, but behind them was a tractor trailer, driven by Scott Wenzel, 45, hauling a farm combine. The combine was a wide load that extended past the side of the trailer and into the shoulder.
Hicks was hit and suffered fatal injuries. The no other cyclists were harmed.
Officials investigating this fatal truck accident say they will continue to look into the incident, but early indications are that no charges will be filed.
Any accidental death is certainly a tragedy, but the fact that this one took the life of a young woman working for a charity makes this accident especially saddening. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim.
