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23rd October 2023
01:18pm BST
A couple on a bike ride together were killed when lumber slid off the bed of a passing truck and struck them.
Christian and Michelle Deaton were cycling down the Silverado Trail on the outskirts of Napa Valley, California, around 11am on October 17 when the accident happened.
According to The Oregonian, a 2018 Freightliner three-axle flatbed truck tried to go around the Portland couple at about 40 mph while timber was stacked on the back. The load shifted to the right and some hung off the flatbed.
The outlet said it struck both cyclists - 52-year-old Christian and 48-year-old Michelle.
Christian died at the scene, while Michelle later lost her life in hospital.
NBC reported that the 55-year-old driver - who has not been identified - remained at the scene during the investigation.
Police have not said whether the driver faces any criminal charges.
Meanwhile, friends and family are now mourning the deaths of the couple who were married for 21 years.
The couple, according to tributes, were adventurous, liked to travel and stay active.
"Life was their hobby - there was never a moment where they weren’t going to make the most of it," Cholee Thompson, a friend of Christian and Michelle, said.
Cholee told The Oregonian that Michelle loved a good laugh and was always up for new experiences - whether that be a spontaneous hike, bike ride or a bit of kayaking.
"They shared so much love for each other,” Elizabeth LeMay, another friend of the couple added.
"They were a couple you come across once in a lifetime."
Carolyn Deaton, Christian's mother, told NBC Bay Area that the couple lived for every moment. "They were just two peas in a pod," she said.
"They just had similar personalities and characteristics and same passions about things." The devastated mom said the couple both worked at Nike in the Portland area.
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