Charges Filed In Fatal Hit And Run

A 63-year-old Salina man is charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor in the death of a bicycle rider in May.

Saline County prosecutors announced Wednesday they had charged Lewis Grider with reckless involuntary manslaughter, leaving the scene of an injury or fatality accident, and failing to report an accident. His first court appearance is scheduled for Monday.

Grider is accused of hitting 49-year-old Gail Kline on May 31, who was hit as she was riding alone west of Salina as part of the Kandango Bicycle Tour. A truck driver found her in a ditch and called emergency officials.

Kline was hit from behind as she was riding a bicycle on West Crawford Street west of Salina. The vehicle that hit her then left the scene. Deputies arrested Grider later that evening.

A memorial, also known as a ghost bike, was placed at the site of the accident a couple of days later. Ghost bikes are traditionally placed where a fellow cyclist has lost their life. It serves as a memorial and also a fitting reminder to respect human life out on the road way.

Associated Press information from: The Salina Journal