Cyclist crashes, dies on Raleigh greenway
A woman died Saturday night after she crashed her bicycle on a Raleigh greenway, police said.
Posted — UpdatedThe crash occurred at about 8 p.m. on a trail near Lockwood Park, near the intersection ot Crabtree Boulevard and Culpepper Lane in east Raleigh.
The woman, whose name hasn't been released, apparently lost control of her bike and ran off the trail into a tree, police said. She was wearing a helmet, police said.
A passerby found her and called 911.
By Monday, some flowers had been left along the greenway about a quarter-mile from the access point on Crabtree Boulevard.
It's unclear what caused the woman to run off the path, but one cyclist said the trail can be challenging.
"There are some steep hills. Someone who is not experienced and does does not have proper safety equipment, I could see getting injured there," Johnny Sims said.
Police haven't ruled out foul play in her death.
Although a gate along the greenway is always closed and locked, according to people who live nearby, Wake County EMS Assistant Chief Jeff Hammerstein access to the trail was not an issue for first responders.
Hammerstein said the incident should be a reminder to anyone who uses Raleigh's greenways to know where they are on the trail, where they got on the trail and how far they are from the nearest access point.
"When someone makes a call on a cellphone [from a greenway], we can get a rough idea where that person is. We can't pinpoint it on a map, but we can get a good idea where that person is," Hammerstein said. "[Information provided by the caller] helps us to find the right greenway and, certainly, the closer access point, and we can kind of work from there to zero in on where they really are."
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