Colorado Springs family mourns death of bicyclist killed by driver
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A Colorado Springs woman died after she was hit by a driver on her daily bike ride. Now, her family is remembering who she was and hoping her death will be a wake-up call for drivers to be alert on the road.
On Oct. 26, 2022, 44-year-old Jocelyn Harris left her house like she did every day for a bike ride. A short time later, her husband received the devastating call that his wife had been in an accident.
"I just got a call from a friend who said they had seen her on the side of the road and they thought they saw her involved in a bike accident," said Thomas Harris.
It wasn't long before police confirmed that Harris had been hit. According to the police, the driver didn't see her.
"It was just really hard because she's just a strong person, so it was really hard to think about okay what are all the possibilities and I immediately had a feeling that something was not going to go right, that I was going to lose her probably," Thomas said.
According to Thomas, Harris was hospitalized for three days before she eventually died from her injuries.
"Every morning I still remember her sitting and reading you know the bible and other scriptures. Just trying to be a better person all the time," Thomas added.
Thomas said his wife had a generous heart.
"She was actually a coach for our local Air Academy High School mountain bike team. She go super involved with that, they kind of named her the team mom, she just loved those kids. She would go out and ride bikes with these kids you know every week," Thomas said.
The woman who hit her now faces charges in Harris' death. However, Thomas said his family isn't seeking additional charges against the driver.
According to Thomas, his family has managed to find forgiveness for the woman who took his wife's life.
Still, he hopes other drivers will learn from this tragedy and pay better attention to the road and bicyclists.
"If the community can do one thing resulting from this accident is to pay more attention, put your phones down and slow down a little bit," Harris said.
For all those who would like to help the Harris family during this difficult time, you can visit this link.
