Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
On Wednesday, May 20, cyclists around the world will take part in a Ride of Silent in memory of those cyclists who have been hit by distracted or careless motorists in the past year and to make the public more aware that cyclists and motorists need to share the road.
The ride is also a chance to mourn, in the manor of a funeral procession, those cyclists who were killed, according to a news release from Ride Of Silence.
Cyclists in Goshen will participate in a Ride of Silence Wednesday as well. The ride starts at 7 p.m., and it will begin and end at Lincoln Avenue Cycling, 430 W. Lincoln Ave., Goshen. The ride is free, and organizers ask cyclists to ride no faster than 12 miles per hour (a minimum of 8 mph) and remain silent for the duration of the hour-long ride. Cyclists should arrive at the starting location at 6:30 p.m. so the ride can leave promptly at 7 p.m. In case of rain, the ride will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 23, and a cancellation announcement will be posted on the Lincoln Avenue Cycling website by 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
The area has seen at least 20 cycling fatalities in the past nine years, including two in the past year.
1. On Sept. 30, 2025, Lamar Stutzman, 38, was struck from behind at CRs 23 and 48 south of New Paris.
2. On June 27, 2025, Daniel Fisher, 52, was struck from behind by a pickup truck at CRs 34 and 37 in Elkhart County. He died the next day.
3. On Feb. 26, 2025, Lavern Yoder, 57, and Mattie Yoder 58, both of LaGrange, were killed by a car near 5475 W. 100 South in LaGrange County.
4. On Sept. 27, 2024, Austin Carter, 30, of Elkhart, was killed when he was struck from behind while riding on U.S. 12 near Garver Lake Road near Edwardsburg, Mich.
5. On Aug. 7, 2023, Marlan Schwartz, 21, was killed by a truck in Leesburg in Kosciusko County.
6. On July 28, 2023, Heather Lynn Lafler, 39, was killed by a van on U.S. 131 near Millard Road in Three Rivers, Mich.
7. On July 15, 2023, a still unnamed male cyclist was killed at mile marker 71.8 on the Indiana Toll Road in St. Joseph County.
8. On April 13, 2023, Carl Prince, 24, was struck by a semi on Ind. 119 just west of CR 13 in Elkhart County. He died April 18.
9. On Aug. 23, 2022, Father Jan Klimczyk, a retired Catholic priest, was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bike on Ind. 2 in St. Joseph County.
10. On Aug. 4, 2022, Clifford Gilbert III, 62, was killed by a train while he was crossing the Norfolk Southern tracks on Lincoln Avenue in Goshen.
11. In June 2021, Blaine Fisher, 18, was killed in the 3000 block of Greenleaf Boulevard, Elkhart.
12. In September 2020, Tyler Allen Carver, 24, was killed at the intersection of CRs 10 and 15 in Elkhart County.
13. On Sept. 9, 2020, Mahlon “Mel” L. Lehman, 77, was killed in a collision with a pickup truck on East Warren Street at Grace Lawn Cemetery in Middlebury.
14. In November 2020, Leon Yoder, 44, was killed on CR 38 just east of CR 37 near Millersburg.
15. In August 2019, Goshen resident Dr. Dereck Klopfenstein, 49, was killed after being struck from the rear in the 11,000 block of Pierce Road near South Bend.
16. Also in August 2019, West Noble running coach Charles Schlemmer, 58, was killed when hit by a U-Hall truck on River Road south of CR 900N in Noble County.
17. In September 2018, M.J. Beachler, 78, was killed crossing South 15th Street at the crosswalk between the entrance to the Winona Railway Trail bike path and Greencroft Manor in Goshen.
18. Also, in September 2018, Ronald Strieby, 70, was killed by a hit-and-run motorist at the intersection of CR 800N and CR 650E near North Webster in Kosciusko County.
19. On Aug. 24, 2017, Mahala K. Yoder, 33, was killed by a minivan while waiting to make a left turn from Ind. 5 onto CR 345 North in La Grange County.
Ride Of Silence is not aware of fatalities in 2016 or 2015, but two cyclists were killed in 2014, two in 2013 and three in 2012.
Nationally, 1,166 people lost their lives in bicycle-motor vehicle crashes in 2023, the last year for which statistics are available, up from 1,117 in 2022 and 976 in 2021 (FARS Encyclopedia (dot.gov).
Starting in 2022, people on motorized bicycles are classified as pedalcyclists instead of motorcyclists.
A study of hospitalizations for bicycling injuries between 2002 to 2009 found that an estimated 6,877 people were hospitalized for injuries caused by a motor vehicle crash, and 18,457 people were hospitalized for non-motor vehicle bicycle accidents. From 2014 to 2023, bicycle fatalities from motor vehicle crashes have averaged 914 per year in the U.S. (NHTSA statistics on crashes).
Chris Phelan organized the first Ride of Silence in 2003 in Dallas after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was killed, having been struck by the mirror of a passing bus on an otherwise empty road. Several other cyclists were injured after being struck by a motorist.
Participants are encouraged to bring photos of those who they know that have been lost and to wear black armbands. Helmets are required and lights are recommended for those who may be riding home after the ride.
In 2024, there were 239 Rides of Silence in 40 U.S. states and in 14 countries and on three continents
For more information, visit www.rideofsilence.org.
