Andrews – Retired dentist and local resident Frank Mason, 82, who was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike on Airport Road on Aug. 12, succumbed from his injuries on Aug. 18.
“His tragic death is a reminder that all drivers need to keep our eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel,” according to a post on the Hiwassee Dam Fire Department Facebook page.
“Frank was very supportive of our volunteer fire departments and his community,” the post reads. “He and his wife even assembled bikes for Toys for Tots.”
Mason, an avid bicyclist, was riding his bike along Airport Road just west of Webb Creek Road on the morning of Aug. 12 when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Samantha Bristol of Walnut Cove Road in Andrews.
The driver pulled over immediately after the incident and called 911. The N.C. Highway Patrol says charges are pending.
Mason, wearing bright yellow and red clothing and a bicycle helmet, was riding eastbound on Airport Road and crested a small hill, where vegetation cut off access to a narrow shoulder, forcing him farther onto the road than he otherwise would have been.
Bristol failed to see Mason and her vehicle, a 2016 Toyota, sideswiped him on his bicycle, knocking him from his bicycle onto the roadway. He was unconscious by the time his wife, Edith, reached him at the hospital and never regained consciousness before dying six days later.
Mrs. Mason said her husband was in exceptional shape for an 82-year-old man – he rode his bicycle 80 miles when he turned age 80 – and his conditioning probably kept him alive longer than couple be expected for someone that age and with injuries to his brain, lower back and arm.
“He had a lot of good years left, but died because of some stupidity,” she told the Cherokee Scout on Monday.
Mason was a member of the Southern Appalachian Bicycle Association, Rod Fortney, president of the association, said in a letter to the Scout.
“His many friends are understandably shocked and saddened by the loss of their friend and are left wondering WHY this happened,” he wrote.
Fortney said he was advised that the driver who hit Mason “looked down for just a minute, and there he was.”
“Almost exactly one year ago, I was struck by a van in Brasstown at the intersection of Old Highway 64 and Settawig Road,” he said. “Fortunately, I only sustained minor injuries. The driver of the van told the police that he didn’t see me in the intersection. It was a bright day. I also had flashing rear lights, but yet the driver said he never saw me.”
The beauty of the area draws people who are seeking to escape the hustle and bustle of nearby crowded metro areas, Fortney said.
“They come here for the respite of our mountains and the opportunity to enjoy activities like hiking, kayaking and cycling,” he said. “There is the perception that our rural countryside enjoys a slower pace and is a safer place to recreate. Still, it only takes a split-second of distracted driving to take a life.”
Fortney urged motorists to keep their eyes on the road so there is not another cyclist/vehicle accident or even worse, another fatality.
The Hiwassee Dam Fire Department echoed Fortney’s concerns about sharing local roadways.
“We hate to see needless tragedies,” the department posted on Facebook. “Please put all distractions away, stay in your lane and pay attention. If you are a bicyclist, please wear a helmet and bright reflective safety clothing (this man did have safety gear).”