The family of a German cyclist who died in a traffic accident on Route 66 near Galena, Kansas, on Friday visited the crash site and where a “ghost bike” was erected in his honor and a colleague’s.
Harry Jung, 74, and Heinz-Gerd Buchel, 71, both of Germany, were cycling May 8 along Route 66 when they were struck from behind by a minivan west of Galena. They had planned to cycle the length of 66.
The driver of the minivan was Alyssa Parker, 23, of Shawnee, Kansas. Parker was not injured nor ticketed, but the accident remains under investigation.
The Joplin Globe reported:
Two of Buchel’s children, Anna and Simon, visited the ghost bike Friday afternoon, where they observed a moment of silence and placed two single white roses in honor of their father and Jung. The siblings also visited the site of the accident, where they placed a white cross in the grass.
“This means a lot to us, thank you,” Anna Buchel said at the memorial. “The wife of Harry Jung wished me to place a white rose there for her husband because she could not be here today. It was very important to her. My father also loved white roses, so that’s why we decided to put those there. I think this ghost bike is especially beautiful, and I think it’s a good thing because now everyone knows what happened.”
The family members also thanked first responders who treated the accident victims and residents who reached out with words of support and sympathy.
Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau director Patrick Tuttle, a cyclist, met the family members and attended the event.
“The Route 66 community of Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri have all been touched by this, and we want to continue to honor anybody who loses their life along Route 66,” Tuttle said. “The cycling communities between Miami and Joplin are also touched by this, as well. The ghost bike is kind of a national way of honoring people who have lost their lives by cycling.”
Several area cyclists also attended the ceremony and gave well wishes to the Buchel family.
A local television station produced this video about the event:
FOX 14 TV Joplin and Pittsburg News Weather Sports |
The station also published a full statement from the family:
“When our father Heinz-Gerd Büchel and his friend Harry Jung started their journey along Route 66 we never imagined the terrible end it would take. Their sudden deaths have brought great loss and sorrow for so many friends and family members; our father left behind two siblings, his longtime wife, three children and three grandchildren.
“Knowing that the accident happened thousands of miles away from home made us feel very insecure and desperate. Therefore, we are very touched by the still, ongoing support from local cycling groups and individuals who have shown, that for us, Galena is not only the place where our father died, but a great community who takes care of each other. Our father loved interacting with people on his bicycle trips and would also be very happy knowing that there has been such a local interest in his fate. We are especially touched by the ghost bike and the crosses which have been placed for our father and Harry Jung. They would have appreciated these efforts toward greater safety for bicyclists.
“We would particularly like to thank the first responders who rushed to assist our father and Harry. The work you do is difficult, sometimes thankless, and occasionally traumatic. We cannot thank you enough.
“We also thank everybody who has helped us here in the U.S. to make the burden of our father’s death a little lighter. Your words of sympathy and kindness have touched our hearts and bring comfort in this difficult time in our lives.”
(Screen-capture image from video from the “ghost bike” ceremony in Galena, Kansas)