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Man bicycling across America for charity struck by car and killed

A car drove into two bicyclists — members of a cross-country charity group ride — killing one and injuring another on Highway 152 south of Elk City.

Patrick Wanninkhof, 25, was hit and died at the scene. Bridget Anderson, 22, was airlifted to OU Medical Center with a leg injury, according to News6.com.

The bike riders were part of a cross-country bicycle ride to raise money for affordable housing. Wanninkhof was leading a group of cyclists, part of a group called Bike & Build, whose members ride across the country to raise money for affordable housing.

This particular group had stopped in Tulsa on Sunday, July 26, 2015 where they spent time working with Habitat For Humanity.

News6.com said the trooper’s report stated that Wanninkhof and Anderson were riding west when a westbound 2014 Chevy driven by Sarah Morris, 34, of Cordell hit them. She told troopers she was distracted by looking at her phone when she hit the bicyclists, according to the OHP report Morris wasn’t hurt, troopers said.

The report did not indicate whether Morris will be cited.

Oklahoma is one of 46 states that prohibit the use of cell phones for texting while driving.

Bike and Build is a not-for-profit organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that organizes bike trips to support affordable housing organizations.

The group issued a written statement about news they learned from the Oklahoma state police and that the two bicyclists’ families have been notified. The ride has been halted for a few days and bicyclists are staying in Wheeler, Texas and are talking to grief counselors. A memorial service is being planned.

Bike & Build wrote, “We are all shaken by this terrible news, and this will be a difficult time for everyone in our community.”  

Wanninkhof wrote on his Bike & Build profile that he had been a public school science teacher in the Bronx, through Teach for America. He had recently completed a master’s in teaching adolescent physics.

As for his passion for bicycling he wrote, “As someone with a Dutch father, bicycling is in my blood. Combining my passion for social justice and pedal powered-vehicles will make for the adventure of a life-time.”

He wrote he joined the bike ride because one of his students told him about how her mom couldn’t afford rent and they had been moving between relatives’ houses for places to sleep.

“How on earth could I expect her to give her all to Newton’s Laws when she wasn’t sure where she’d be sleeping that evening?”

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