COOPER CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. — It has been six years since a drugged driver hit several cyclists in Kalamazoo County.
The nine cyclists were riding together as part of "The Chain Gang Bicycle Club." Five riders lost their lives and four got hurt.
"Just thinking about the people, it was such a loss for the community to lose those people. Every one of them was a good person," said Paul Runnels, one of the men who survived the bike tragedy.
READ: Survivor of Kalamazoo bike tragedy remembers the day five years later
The cyclists were riding on N. Westnedge Ave in Cooper Charter Township around 6:30 p.m. on June 7, 2016.
Runnels says he remembers having just passed Markin Glen Park. The ride was about 28 miles from Nazareth to Plainwell.
"We were about six to seven miles into it when the crash happened," said Runnels.
The driver, Charles Pickett Jr., was convicted of hitting the cyclists with his pickup truck while under the influence.
"The only thing I remember hearing was people, and it is fairly typical yelling ‘car back’ and because we were going uphill, I decided not to look back because I didn’t want to swerve out into the traffic. I decided to keep my head down and keep pedaling up the hill," said Runnels.
Runnels was one of the four cyclists who got hurt. He had several broken bones that took him months to recover from.
The five victims who lost their lives were Debbie Bradley, Fred (Tony) Nelson, Larry Paulik, Melissa Favig-Hughes and Suzanna Sippel.
"The bikes were in such bad shape after they’d all got hit that the EMTs and first responders weren’t even sure how many people were involved," said Runnels.
Bike Friendly Kalamazoo President Paul Selden says it's important for drivers to give cyclists space and to slow down while passing.
"That’s five feet in Michigan. The state law is three feet, but in Kalamazoo County, and in many places, it's five feet, which amounts to about half a lane," said Selden.
Selden also says cyclists should ensure they're visible and are following traffic laws.
This crash did not keep Runnels off his bike, but instead pushed him to advocate for awareness and change.
"This is one day out of the year where we do rally around that idea, that we are here to help each other because unfortunately we aren’t the last people to have lost somebody in a bicycle crash," said Runnels.
The Kalamazoo Bicycle Club, along with survivors of the bike tragedy, are held a 'Ride of Silence' Tribute and Memorial Ride.
Cyclists met at the Ascension Borgess Health and Fitness Center off of Gull Road around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday.
They planned to take the 28-mile route that the cyclists took the day of the tragedy.
The group stopped at the Chain Gang Memorial at Marking Glen Park, about five miles into the ride, for a moment of silence.
From there, riders could turn around to bike back to the Ascension Borgess Health and Fitness Center or continue on to Plainwell.
