Des Moines 'ghost bike' memorial struck by car
The memorial for a Des Moines cyclist was struck by a car Friday night, mangling the tires of an all-white "ghost bike."
Tire tracks were noticeable along the grass and sidewalk from where a vehicle looks like it went off the road and eventually struck the ghost bike.
Des Moines police received a call after 11 p.m. Friday for a car accident at the corner of 51st Street and Grand Avenue. An incident report shows an 18-year-old woman hit the ghost bike and needed medical attention.
She was transferred to Iowa Methodist Medical Center and had cuts on her neck, according to the report.
Police did not have a report indicating whether the driver Friday was intoxicated.
The ghost bike — a riderless bicycle painted all white and adorned with flowers — was placed as a memorial for Gregary "Wade" Franck, a beloved member of Des Moines' cycling community who was struck by a drunk driver last August.
'Ghost bike' holds hope for cold case
Franck died at the age of 41 two days after he was hit by Jonathan Leyva Rodriguez, who was driving despite being barred after a 2011 drunken driving conviction.
Rodriguez, 32, was sentenced in June to serve a maximum of 34 years in prison. Jurors had convicted Leyva Rodriguez in May of vehicular homicide and five other charges.
The ghost bike was originally tied to a sign at the intersection, but had been locked to a nearby tree by Saturday morning.
Craig Lien of Des Moines said he rode by Franck's memorial around 1 a.m. Saturday and saw that it and the sign it was tied to had been run over. He said he returned Saturday morning to lock up the ghost bike to make sure it wasn't stolen.
"It’s a better sign for all the drivers the way it is right now," Lien said. "That’s how Wade’s bike looked" after he was hit.
Iowans taking to the roads this holiday weekend should be prepared for an enhanced law enforcement presence.
The state Department of Transportation has said it is putting in an extra effort from Friday afternoon through Tuesday morning to make sure drunk drivers and speeders stay off of Iowa's roads.
