Brothers Honor Hit-And-Run Victim's Memory With Grueling Ride
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - A month after a hit-and-run, police still don't know who struck a Lakewood cyclist on his way to work. Now they have released surveillance video showing a semi truck in the area near the time it happened.
David Pickett was found dead on May 16, only a day or two after his 50th birthday party.
Picket had been training for this month's Ride the Rockies cycling event and was riding to work early in the morning when the incident happened. Police say a driver hit him somewhere near the intersection of 46th and Josephine and that two truckers first found his body.
Pickett's brothers Mike and Jeff talked to CBS4 on Saturday and said that despite the fact that neither one is a big rider, they plan to honor his memory by taking part in Ride the Rockies.
"We both started training about 2 weeks ago so this is giong to be an adventure for us," Jeff said. "We're kind of weekend warriors. We're not in biking shape."
The plan is for Jeff to take up the first leg of the race and his older brother to ride the last part. Along the way they will wear shirts with Dave's image on them. In the picture Dave is on a bike traveling down a Colorado road.
Both brothers said they never thought they would be riding in the event, which features a grueling ride of more than 400 miles over multiple Colorado mountain passes.
"I think he'd kind of find it a little humorous to be honest with you," Jeff said. "He was the big biker, so he would probably be a little surprised that we're doing this."
"We just want to think about him as we're riding and honor him and just see what he should have been seeing if his life wouldn't been taken from him," Mike said.
(Watch the video clip below to see the surveillance video of the semi truck. Police say they just want to talk to the driver to see what that person remembers at the time):
The brothers also want to make a plea to the person who took Dave's life and hasn't been found.
"Just to come forward be a person of integrity and just give our family some answers," Mike said. "I just plead with them to come forward and just know that they're not coming against a family that has a vendetta against them."
Instead, Mike said, they are a family that will climb mountains to see their brother's dream come true.
The brothers say they also want to raise awareness about bicyclists on the road. They are asking drivers to watch out for anyone on a bike, especially during the summer months.
