A teenage boy was hit and killed while riding a bicycle on a dark country roadway in Tangipahoa Parish.
State Police say Benjamin Mixon, 13, of Kentwood was riding with another juvenile on State Highway 1061 near Crawford Rd. at around 6:30 p.m. Thursday when an SUV hit them from behind.
It was after dark, the roadway was unlit, there’s no shoulder, and the speed limit is 55 MPH — factors that make bicycling on the roadway treacherous even in broad daylight.
Investigators say neither bike had any lights on it.
Thus, it’s likely that the driver could not have seen either one until it was too late.
“(The roadway) was not lighted, and it was at a hillcrest,” notes Louisiana State Police Trooper Mark Gremillion.
The kids’ attire also didn’t help matters.
“Both cyclists were wearing dark clothing,” says Gremillion, “so it was very difficult for the driver to have seen anyone on the roadway.”
Mixon died at a hospital, while the other juvenile suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Troopers took a toxicology sample from the driver, as per standard procedure.
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