RAGBRAI rider dies of Thursday injuries
Fri, Jul 30, 2010 | by Regina Zilbermints
RAGBRAI rider Stephen Briggs died this afternoon from the injuries he suffered in Thursday morning’s collision.
He was 68.
Stephen Briggs (SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER)
Briggs, of Waverly, was riding in a group when he collided with another bike and was thrown off. He was flown to Mercy Medical center – North Iowa in Mason City with a head injury.
He died today at 3:35 p.m.
Briggs was a caring man, his daughter, Karen Moore, said.
“My ringtone, when he calls my phone, is ‘Superman,’” she said. “Because he’s always there for anyone, anytime.”
He loved riding his bike, loved RAGBRAI, and was an experienced rider. He’d ridden the entire RAGBRAI route five times and parts of the route at least five more.
“I had to stop and realize that if he had to go, he went doing something he absolutely loved to do,” Moore said. “One minute he was riding his bike, the next he went to heaven.”
Moore said doctors attempted surgery, but there was too much swelling around his brain.
Briggs was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, in which he clipped the tire of the bicyclist in front of him.
It wasn’t a major collision, Moore said, but was enough to send him off his bike.
The 68-year-old had retired from 40 years in the printing industry.
He was riding with the No Name Bike Club, and several other members were at the hospital today.
He is survived by his wife, three children, and four grandchildren.
Moore was waiting at the hospital for Iowa Donor Network representatives to arrive.
“We hope this tragedy can bring life to someone else,” she said. “That’s what he would have wanted. That’s the kind of person he was.”
* * * * * *
In a separate incident, a RAGBRAI rider was injured Friday when he was struck by a car in Washburn in eastern Iowa.
The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office says the accident happened just before 12:30 p.m. Friday. It says the car was turning left when it collided with the bicycle.
The bicyclist, 49-year-old Mohammed Al-Marima, of Bloomington, Ill., suffered a shoulder injury as well as cuts to his right leg. He was taken to a Waterloo hospital.
The driver of the car, 25-year-old Joshua Dunt, of Raymond, Iowa, was charged with failure to yield on a left turn.
Black Hawk County deputies also responded to five other accidents Thursday and Friday in which RAGBRAI riders suffered minor injuries after losing control of their bikes.
The Associated Press contributed the second part of this report.
So sorry for the loss of Mr Briggs…my prayers and condolence go to his family, friends and team members for the loss. I hosted 27 riders last night in Glenwwood….I pray for their safety, as well as all the riders! Accident’s happen, very unfortunate and tragic, but as someone above posted, they all know the hazards of the experience! God Bless Ragbrai 2011 riders! Have a great time and stay safe!
So sad for this family! I lost my Grandpa several years ago to an ATV accident when he was only 69. He too died doing something he really enjoyed and we are thankful for that at least. Unfortunately, though he was always a cautious man, he was not wearing a helmet that day and we often wonder if we would still have him around if only he had been wearing one. A person can die with or without a helmet but the chances of survival are much greater when you wear one. In this case, a helmet was not enough, but hopefully this family has one less “if only….” to think about.
sorry for the loss of someone special, close and dear to your heart. my prayer and thought are with you and the family
Hi, Neat post. There’s a problem with your site in internet explorer, could test this? IE nonetheless is the market chief and a large portion of other folks will miss your excellent writing because of this problem.