BRADENTON, Fla. — A ghost bike now marks the spot on 53rd Avenue West near 66th Street in Bradenton where Craig Prather, 48, was struck and killed while riding his bicycle. Family members and friends gathered on a rainy Sunday morning to support the placement of the memorial, calling on drivers to be more careful on the road.
Florida Highway Patrol says a 24-year-old driver in a BMW entered the bike lane and struck Prather, who died at the scene. The crash happened around 4:15 a.m. on May 16. The crash remains under investigation.
Joy Peck, Prather's mother, said a Garmin computer on her son's bike alerted her that morning that he had been involved in an incident.
"I assumed it was another heart attack. Craig had had 11 heart attacks, a double bypass, a subdural hemorrhage," Peck said.
But that wasn't the case — she said he was struck and killed doing what he loved.
"I about lost it. I never dreamed of that…" Peck said.
Peck described her son as one of the most careful cyclists you could know.
"Craig was one of the most careful cyclists you could know — not one light, but two lights front and rear, a blinking and a solid. Always a helmet. He'd get mad if you wanted to go just out on the sidewalk without a helmet," Peck said.
Prather was a father, husband, and son, and an avid cyclist. Peck and others say they want answers and want to see someone held accountable.
"I'm angry. I'm angry. I'm mad as can be," Peck said.
Sean Vanwatteghem, a friend who used to ride with Prather, said Prather helped him break a record by riding 220 miles in 12 hours. He also wants answers.
"How does someone hit and kill a cyclist in the bike lane with full lights on at 4:15 in the morning? Was the person on the phone? Were they intoxicated? Did they smell of alcohol?" Vanwatteghem said.
Paul Gagnon, an endurance cyclist, echoed those concerns.
"I think it's a tragedy that Florida doesn't do better with holding people accountable," Gagnon said.
Dave Matthews has placed more than 200 ghost bikes across the country for cyclists killed in crashes. Some family members impacted by previous tragedies also attended the memorial placement.
"This is what I fight for now — is these families," Matthews said.
Peck is now calling for changes to Florida law.
"I want requirement of a field sobriety test, a breathalyzer, and blood in case of drugs," Peck said.
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