ORANGE, TX (10/18/2015) — Bicyclist Raymond Lamar Ross was killed on Sunday night after he was struck by a suspected drunk driver.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), 38-year-old Raymond Lamar Ross, a bicyclist, was killed on Sunday after he was struck by a 1994 Chevrolet Camaro along Highway 12 near Woodland Drive in Orange, Texas.
DPS reported that at around 10:50 p.m., the driver of the Camaro, 39-year-old Ralph Bridwell, was traveling eastbound on Highway 12 when he tried to pass a vehicle by using the right shoulder and struck Ross, who (according to Trooper Stephanie Davis) was legally riding his bicycle in the eastbound shoulder.
Ross lost his life at the scene. Bridwell was taken to a nearby area hospital for treatment of minor injuries; he has since been released.
DPS Troopers continue to investigate this fatal collision. They suspect that alcohol was a factor in this wreck.
Commentary
Regardless of your feelings toward bicyclists using the same roads as cars, the fact of the matter is that the victim in this accident was obeying the law when he was struck. The driver who caused the accident was said to have been acting recklessly by passing another vehicle on the shoulder of the highway, and according to police, may have been under the influence of alcohol at the time.
While nothing can repair the harm this accident has caused, we hope that an investigation reveals exactly what happened, and that justice (where warranted) is served.
