Cyclist dies after being hit by pickup truck

Cyclist dies after being hit by pickup truck Iowa City Press-Citizen

A Coe College psychology professor on a recumbent bicycle died Tuesday after being hit by a pickup on Highway 965 north of North Liberty.

Daniel A. Lehn, 58, of North Liberty, was riding the bicycle northbound on Highway 965, near the intersection with Meadow Road Northeast, at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday when he was hit by a GMC Sierra pickup, also traveling north, according to an Iowa State Patrol report.

Lehn, who was also associate dean of the faculty, was taken via ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, according to the report. He later died, according to a statement from Coe College President David McInally.

Lehn has taught at Coe since 1993, according to McInally's statement.

"Dan was known for his keen sense of humor and quick wit, and he was regarded as a first-rate teacher and scholar. He was beloved by students, alumni, faculty and staff," McInally said in the statement. "Dan was a kind, gentle, dedicated and joy-filled member of our community — our brightest light."

"He brought smiles to many faces each day, and he will be sorely missed on the campus. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dan's wife, Lauri, and their family at this time," McInally said.

There will be on-campus counseling available for members of the Coe community, including faculty, staff and students, according to Coe spokesman Rod Pritchard.

Lehn's Coe College faculty webpage states that he grew up in Cincinnati and Fairfield, Conn., before going to college at the University of Connecticut and receiving his Ph.D. at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Lehn also mentioned on the page that he began cycling as a hobby in graduate school and has continued doing it since.

His favorite thing about Coe, the page said, was the people.

"That's why I took the job and that's why I have always loved it here. The people at Coe — students, staff and faculty — care about their jobs and they care about each other."

Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Nathan Ludwig said Lehn was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The collision occurred in the roadway near the fog line, Ludwig said, although he didn't know if Lehn was on the road or the shoulder.

The driver of the truck, Devin J. Disterhoft, 27, of Tiffin, was not injured.

The crash remains under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol, and Ludwig said it was too early to say whether Disterhoft would face charges.

Ludwig said a stretch of the highway was closed for several hours Tuesday morning following the crash, but the road reopened before 10 a.m.

Bike safety advocates said deaths like Lehn's are unfortunately all too common.

"Half of the fatal bicycle crashes are overtakings where cars are passing the bike, or not passing, and the collision occurs then," said Mark Wyatt, the executive director of the nonprofit Iowa Bicycle Coalition, referring to statistics from the last 10 years.

Wyatt said fatal crashes involving bicyclists in Iowa have doubled from four in 2015 to eight this year. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is seeking signatures for a petition that urges the Iowa Legislature to provide stricter penalties for reckless drivers and better enforcement of existing laws.

One thing drivers can do is slow down, Wyatt said.

"The first thing we recommend (when) we’re coaching young drivers and new drivers is you need to slow down whenever you recognize that there’s a bicycle in front of you," he said. "Taking speed out of these collisions helps a lot to reduce injuries and decrease fatalities."

Although it's a busy road, it's not uncommon to see cyclists on Highway 965, said Anne Duggan, president of Think Bicycles of Johnson County. And when motor vehicles are approaching cyclists from behind, it's the driver's responsibility to behave safely, she said.

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