Bicyclist killed, woman dies in Tift Co. accidents
Bicyclist who was killed and a woman who died while attempting to render aid to the bicyclist have now been identified.
KELLTOWN, Ga. – According to our news partners with Tifton Grapevine Newsletter, the bicyclist who was killed and a woman who died while attempting to render aid to the bicyclist have now been identified.
A Tifton man on a bicycle and the Norman Park woman who struck him with her vehicle have both died in a series of tragic accidents early Monday morning near Kelltown in Tift County, authorities say.
Matthew Reeves, 42, of Tifton, who was riding a bicycle along U.S. Highway 319 just north of Kelltown, died at the scene after being hit by a vehicle, said Tift County Deputy Coroner Blair Veazey.
Regina Lynn Strickland-West, 56, of Norman Park, was driving a Ford Edge midsize SUV north on Highway 319 when she struck Reeves shortly after 6 a.m. Monday, authorities said. After hitting the bicyclist, West made a U-turn and stopped on the other side of the road; she then crossed the highway on foot to check on the bike rider.
While crossing the highway back toward her vehicle, West was hit by a southbound Ford F-250 truck, according to the Georgia State Patrol. An eyewitness to the accident told WALB-TV that West was trying to flag down the truck when she was struck.
West was transported to Tift Regional Medical Center with serious injuries and later died at approximately 1 p.m. Monday, the deputy coroner said.
Authorities have not identified the driver of the truck.
Reeves, the bicyclist, had a wife and two small children, ages 7 and 8. His sister-in-law, Kacey Henderson, said Reeves did not have life insurance, and his wife, Henderson’s sister, is legally blind. Henderson has created a GoFundMe online page to raise funds for a funeral.
West, who lived in Norman Park, was a Moultrie native. She worked with code enforcement and leaves behind a husband, an adult son and daughter, and eight grandchildren.
By: FRANK SAYLES JR., Tifton Grapevine
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