A 34-year-old bicyclist was killed Saturday evening after being struck by an SUV while crossing US 29 North near Reedy Fork Parkway in Greensboro. Napoleon Ellerbe, of Rockingham, died at the scene, according to the Greensboro Police Department.
Emergency crews responded at 6:13 p.m. Saturday to the crash, which happened in the area of US 29 North and Reedy Fork Parkway, according to the Greensboro Police Department as reported by WFMY News 2. Police said Ellerbe rode his bicycle across the highway in front of a Cadillac SRX that was traveling north on US 29, and the SUV struck him as a result, according to FOX8 WGHP.
The driver of the Cadillac remained at the scene, police said. The crash remains under investigation, and the station's report notes that the Greensboro Police Department's Crash Reconstruction Unit is handling the case. Police have not said whether charges are expected.
A Stretch of US 29 With a Grim History
This is not the first fatal bicycle crash reported on that stretch of US 29 North. Earlier reporting from the same outlet described 25-year-old Eric Baldwin's death after a Hyundai Elantra collided with his bicycle in the northbound lanes of the highway, a crash that also drew the Crash Reconstruction Unit to the scene while investigators worked the case. Greensboro has also seen other bicycle and e-bike fatalities this year; a 36-year-old Greensboro woman died after an early-morning crash involving an e-bike and a pickup truck near Randleman Road and Glendale Drive, a case in which police said neither excessive speed nor impairment on the part of the truck driver was a factor, according to ABC45.
Statewide, bicycle deaths on North Carolina roads are a persistent problem. A page from the North Carolina Department of Transportation states that each year between 150 and 165 pedestrians and 16 to 20 bicyclists are killed in collisions with motor vehicles on the state's roads.
How to Help the Investigation
Anyone with information about Saturday's crash is asked to contact Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the P3 Tips mobile app or at P3Tips.com.
