A 24-year-old Norwegian man’s attempt to rollerblade from New York to Los Angeles ended in tragedy in the middle of Kansas. Joachim Lanham was 22 days into the journey when he was struck by an SUV near Salina on Sept. 5, found injured in a ditch by an off-duty first responder. He died at a Wichita hospital on Sept. 11, with his brother Michael at his side, holding his hand through the final week and at the very end.
The Saline County Sheriff’s Office says an 82-year-old woman came forward and reported that she was driving a 2013 Ford Edge when she thought she hit something. She told deputies she turned around, saw nothing, and continued home. The Saline County attorney will now review the evidence to decide whether charges are filed.
The case raises hard questions that hit close to home for anyone who uses the roads outside the car: how safe are our shoulders and bike lanes, and what do we owe someone we hit on the road, even if we don’t see them? A young man’s adventure, and the family left to carry it, deserve at least that much thought. What do you think should happen next in this case?
