World Day of Remembrance: 'My Brother Did Not Die in Vain' - Streetsblog New York City

"Kevin Cruickshank was always in motion. I remember him skateboarding in our living room, to our downstairs neighbors' despair. We rollerbladed across the Golden Gate Bridge. We covered every inch of our New England city in our ten-speed bikes, until our faces burned red from the cold. He believed deeply in sharing the road. Kevin Cruickshank rode a limited-edition 2009 Langster bicycle designed to resemble a New York City taxi cab. He was riding the Langster when he died. "We're all pedestrians," he would say."

"On the morning of July 19, Kevin biked from his home in Morningside Heights all the way to Chinatown, to practice for the New York City Century Bike Ride, an annual event hosted by Transportation Alternatives. He was at the intersection of Canal and Bowery, at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge, when a drunk driver in a stolen Chevrolet Malibu killed him and another woman, May Kwok. The driver had been going more than 100 mph in a 25 mph zone."

"After my brother's funeral in New York City, I met Annie Goldner, who lost her son in a crash. "We're a club no one asks to join," she told me gently. Her strength helped me see that pain could be transformed into purpose. Annie told me about her experience with Families for Safe Streets, a grassroots organization of families who have lost loved ones to, or been injured by, traffic violence."

Kevin Cruickshank lived an active life—skateboarding, rollerblading, and cycling—and believed deeply in sharing the road. He rode a limited-edition 2009 Langster bicycle and frequently built community by clearing shrubs, organizing scooter clubs, and scheduling park cleanups so others could move safely. On July 19, while training for the New York City Century Bike Ride, a drunk driver in a stolen Chevrolet Malibu struck him and another woman at Canal and Bowery, killing them; the driver was driving over 100 mph in a 25 mph zone. Families for Safe Streets offered connection, turning grief into collective purpose and advocacy.

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