Bicyclist killed by pickup truck on Country Club Boulevard in Cape Coral

Reporter: Samantha Johns Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published: Updated:

On Tuesday afternoon, a 71-year-old bicyclist was killed after a closed sidewalk forced him into the path of a pickup truck on Country Club Boulevard in Cape Coral.

According to the Cape Coral Police Department, Lee Earl Cavanaugh of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was riding his bike north just before 4 p.m. near the 1400 block of Country Club Boulevard.

The approximate site of a deadly crash on Country Club Boulevard in Cape Coral, Tuesday. January 31, 2023. Credit: Google Maps

Cavanaugh was riding on the sidewalk until he reached a section of sidewalk that was closed, and he crossed from the sidewalk into the outside right lane of Country Club Boulevard using a driveway.

This put Cavanaugh in the path of a Ram 3500 pickup truck driven by a 39-year-old man from Fort Myers, towing a dump trailer north in the outside right lane of Country Club Drive.

The truck driver swerved within the lane to avoid a collision because there were vehicles in the left lane. The passenger sides of the pickup and the trailer struck Cavanaugh, who was thrown from his bicycle and landed on the grass shoulder of the road.

“I rode my cart up there. I knew the ambulances were up there and stuff. And I got closer to the scene and realized that something bad had happened,” said Michael Ihle, who lives less than a block away.

He saw Cavanaugh lying on the ground next to his bike after the truck hit him.

“I think it’s very, it’s not wide enough there. I mean, there was no way for him to go anywhere else. He’s traveling with his with the direction traveling,” Ihle said.

“It’s tragic to hear what happened yesterday. Sidewalks are a public, public place, and they should be maintained,” said Phil LaCourse, of Cape Coral.

Amanda King said despite this, even without construction, drivers speed in this area. She believes the city should learn from this incident and invest in more parks for cyclists. “There needs to be something so that people do have a safe space.”

The Ram’s driver pulled off the road at the intersection of Country Club Boulevard and Southeast 14th Street.

Cavanaugh was transported to Cape Coral Hospital, where he was declared dead a short time later.

According to CCPD, alcohol, drugs, and speed were not factors in the crash.

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