Two cyclists were killed after being struck by a woman’s car during a charity ride in western Michigan over the weekend. She was charged with their deaths on Monday.
In Ionia County on Saturday, five men were struck while participating in a three-day endurance ride for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Edward Erickson, 48, of Ann Arbor, and Michael Salhaney, 57, of Bloomfield Hills, were the two people that passed away.
Mandy Benn, 43, was charged with homicide by intoxication-related driving and other offenses. She may have a lawyer by now, but that wasn’t immediately known.
According to prosecutor Kyle Butler, Benn crossed the center line and struck the bikers on Saturday while attempting to pass a UPS truck on a country road.
Butler said that while she had no alcohol in her system, she had slurred speech and was unable to follow directions.
He said there was proof she had abused prescription medication.
“People want to believe that bicyclists can protect themselves by wearing the right protective equipment, using the right lights or riding in the correct way,” said Matt Penniman of the League of Michigan Bicyclists. “None of those were sufficient to protect these riders, and blaming victims is never appropriate.”
According to WWMT, Benn is being detained at the Ionia County Jail under a $1 million cash bond.
According to the sheriff’s office, Benn has already been in court twice to answer to allegations of driving while drunk.
Records from the Ionia County District Court show that Benn will return to court on August 8.