'Because the Driver Didn't Want to Wait 15 Seconds, My Kids Don't Have a Mother'

Nearly 300 area residents gathered at Annapolis High School last week to embark on a ride in memory of Trish Cunningham, the school's cross country coach, who was killed in August when a minivan struck her bicycle.

Trish Cunningham was struck while she was pedaling over the crest of a hill on Riva Road between Maple Creek Lane and Bear's Point Road. Police said the cause of the crash appeared to be driver error.

According to Jerry Cunningham, Trish Cunningham's husband, it would have taken his wife about 15 seconds to pedal over the crest of the hill and if the driver of the minivan waited to pass her, his wife might still be alive today. 

"Fifteen seconds is nothing," Jerry Cunningham said as he was addressing a crowd prior to last week's memorial ride. "Because the driver didn't want to wait 15 seconds, my kids don't have a mother." 

Jerry Cunningham urged riders and event attendees to be vigilant so that such tragedies could be avoided in the future. 

Alex Pline, who is a member of the Annapolis Bicycle Club, said he organized last week's ride to give people who may not have known Trish Cunningham personally the opportunity to mourn her loss.

"When you know the people personally, it’s easier to offer something," Pline said.

For those who did not know the Cunninghams, Pline said he thought the ride provided people a way to show some sympathy and solidarity with the family.

About 250 riders participated in the police-escorted memorial ride, riding from Annapolis High down Riva Road, where a white "ghost bike" marks where Trish Cunningham was hit. 

As for cycling safety in the Edgewater and Annapolis area, Pline said he does think it is possible for cars and cyclists to safely share the roads—even in rural areas or roads without a shoulder like the section of Riva Road where the accident occurred. 

"Cars have to be more careful of cyclists and cyclists have to be more careful of cars," Pline said. "That's just the way it has to be." 

Patch blogger Jim Titus, who is a board member of the Washington Area Bicycle Association, wrote a post on Edgewater-Davidsonville Patch in September, questioning whether the driver of the minivan should be charged for homicide in connection with Trish Cunningham's death. 

"Two years ago Maryland created a new crime of vehicular negligent homicide in Maryland, which allows prosecutors to seek criminal penalties when a sober-but-aggressive driver causes an accident that kills someone. Anne Arundel County prosecutors should be seriously thinking about using this statute in the case of Patricia Cunningham," Titus wrote in his post. 

His post spawned a letter writing campaign on the Bike Maryland website, urging individuals to contact the Annapolis state's attorney's office and encourage it to pursue homicide charges against the minivan driver.  

State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess told The Capital Gazette that she had received more than 300 letters urging such action, though she said no decision on charges against the van driver had been reached by her office. 

Jerry Cunningham's full speech in memory of his wife can be found here on YouTube.