DENVER -- A cyclist was killed doing the thing he loved most, riding his bike. Scott Hendrickson is the first person killed on bike in Denver so far this year. His death has sent shock waves through the tight-knit cycling community.
"Here’s a guy who has been on a bike his whole life, loves bikes, knows how to ride bikes, knows how to deal with all kinds of traffic situations and it’s sad that he’s one of the ones that gets killed by a car," said Brad Evans, a friend.
Denver Police said a man driving a minivan collided with Hendrickson in the intersection of W. Bayaud Avenue and S. Tejon Street. He was rushed to the hospital where he passed away the next day. Hendrickson was 60 years old.
According to police, the driver remained on the scene and investigators are still working to determine how the crash occurred. No charges have been filed and no arrests have been made in the case.
Evans bonded with Hendrickson over their shared love of bikes and other common interests. He hopes Hendrickson's death will be a wake up call that will lead to safety improvements for cyclists.
"Denver has big challenges with traffic and how can we use this to a positive effect to make change, it’s super sad that somebody has to die to do that, but it’s an opportunity probably to, and he would relish in that he could be the rally call from the bike community across the city that we need safer streets," said Evans.
Hendrickson was also a proud grandfather who was about to teach his grandson how to ride a bike. He was on the sales team at Comedy Works and a coworker told Denver7 that he was so excited to teach his grandson that he couldn't stop talking about it.
The Denver Cruiser Ride on July 31 will be dedicated to Hendrickson. The group holds monthly rides and plans to paint a bike white in his honor.