Bicyclist Dies After Crash Near N.C. State

Raleigh, N.C. — A North Carolina State University student spent most of his 21st birthday in jail. Police charged he was drunk when his pickup truck hit a bicyclist near campus Wednesday morning, inflicting fatal injuries.

According to a Raleigh police report, Brian Anthony Reid's Ford F-150 hit Nancy Antoine Leidy near the campus at Nazareth Street and Crusader Drive.

"I was devastated," Leidy's friend, Vince Foote, said.

They had been friends for nearly 30 years.

"They are two (Leidy and her husband) beautiful people and they would do anything for you," Foote said.

Leidy, 60, was known for her homemade bread and prize-winning jelly, as well as her compassionate nature, Foote said.

The former N. C. State lab assistant organized a support group for wives whose husbands were deployed in Operation Desert Storm.

"That was first and foremost her interest, and she worked very hard and made them feel needed and wanted while their husbands were away,” Foote said.

Leidy was also a runner and had recently started biking.

"I think, in fact, she had probably just took up the bicycle within the last couple of weeks," Foote said.

Reid, 21, of 310 S. Sixty Court in Graham, registered a 0.12 in an alcohol breath test. He was charged with one count each of driving while impaired, felony assault by motor vehicle and failure to reduce speed.

Leidy was riding on the right-hand side of the road and was wearing a helmet when she was hit, police said.

She was transported to WakeMed in Raleigh with a ruptured aorta. Leidy died at 7:45 p.m., a WakeMed spokesperson said.

"There's no way I can forgive him for doing that because he hurt my friend," Foote said.

Reid, a junior engineering major at N.C. State, was released on a $10,000 secured bond Wednesday evening. Reid could face additional charges in connection with Leidy's death.

"I think it's unfortunate. The kid was 21 and celebrating. I hope to God he doesn't ever drink again,” Foote said.

Reid's attorney, Rusty DeMent, declined to comment on the case.