Steven Barbour Bicyclist dies after being hit Saturday Police call alcohol a factor after test on pickup driver Thursday, July 23, 2009 3:18 AM By Jeb Phillips
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A well-known Upper Arlington bicyclist died early yesterday morning from injuries he received when a pickup struck him on Saturday.
Steven Barbour, 58, was riding west on Cemetery Road in Hilliard about 6 a.m. when the truck hit him, said Hilliard Police Lt. Charles Scalf. The truck also was going west and struck Barbour from behind.
Police arrested the truck’s driver, Edward S. Miller, 28, on a charge of aggravated vehicular assault. That charge likely will change as a result of Barbour’s death, Scalf said.
Gabe Spiegel, an anchorman for WSYX-TV (Channel 6) and WTTE-TV (Channel 28), was a passenger in the vehicle. Spiegel said that Miller is a friend, and that “my heart breaks for (Miller’s) family and the victim’s family.” He declined to comment further.
Scalf said Miller took a breath-analysis test. He would not release the results but said alcohol played a role in the crash.
The crash report lists Miller’s address as Newark, but court records list it as the East Side. Miller was released on bond Monday.
Barbour was scheduled to lead an organized ride on Saturday in Union County and was traveling there when he was hit, said Gail Falkinburg, 68, of the East Side, a longtime friend. He often led rides and often rode his bike long distances to get to those rides, she said.
Barbour retired in August as a senior traffic engineer after 25 years with the Ohio Department of Transportation, said Nancy Burton, a department spokeswoman. He oversaw traffic during large construction projects throughout the state, she said.
But he was best known to his friends as “a thoughtful and quiet gentleman” who would slow down to ride with the person who fell behind the pack, Falkinburg said. He biked about 8,000 miles per year and had planned to spend this fall riding across the country.
His death has led to “shock and a great deal of anger” across the central Ohio biking community, said Jeff Stephens, executive director of Consider Biking, a Columbus cycling-advocacy group.
“As safe as you can be, there is just no defense against an impaired or distracted driver,” Stephens said.
Barbour appeared to be following the rules of the road when he was struck, but the crash is still under investigation, Scalf said.
Barbour is survived by his mother and sister, said Falkinburg, who was serving as a family spokeswoman. Funeral arrangements had not been finalized yesterday evening.
jeb.phillips@dispatch.com