'It gutted me.' Bike community responds to man's death on a sidewalk in Murfreesboro

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — On one of the busiest streets in Murfreesboro, someone on a bike on a sidewalk was hit and killed by a car.

"As I read more of what the Murfreesboro Police posted — that they were on the sidewalk — then it made more sense to me. They were just at the wrong place at the wrong time," said Sarah Lovett.

Sarah Lovett is an active bicyclist in this area. She is the advocacy and engagement chair of the Murfreesboro Bike Club.

While Lovett doesn't know the victim, she says him being on his recumbent bike is largely irrelevant.

"To be sitting on a sidewalk crossing over after having lunch — which is what I assume they were doing — it just makes no sense. It could've been a young mother with a baby carriage or it could've been an older couple trying to get to their doctor's appointment," Lovett said.

The victim was riding with other people on recumbent bikes, which are bikes set lower to the ground. A second person was also hit and hospitalized. That person is expected to live.

According to police, the driver of a sedan jumped a curb and ran into the group while they were stopped on a sidewalk at Joe Knight Drive.

It has sparked some strong reactions.

"We're all guilty of not following the law 100%. To always assume that the bicyclist is at fault is just not fair... any more to assume the motorist is at fault. You need to know the facts," Lovett said.

Police said there was nothing doctors could do to save the cyclist, despite the fact that the crash happened within walking distance from Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital.

According to Murfreesboro Police, the driver of the car was evaluated at the hospital and released. When we asked if they will be charged, a police spokesperson said there were no updates.