A man died after police say he was struck by a car while on a bicycle Monday night in east Charlotte. CMPD says officers found 24-year-old Franklin Leal lying unresponsive in Harrisburg Road not far from the Harrisburg Soccer Sports Complex around 11 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Terry Lansdell of BikeWalkNC says Leal’s death is part of a trend that stems from a lack of proper enforcement of traffic laws.
"Every loss of life, whether it be someone who walks, someone who rides, someone who drives, has to be recognized as an important, critical, social and dynamic issue for our road safety," Lansdell said. "We shouldn’t be killing each other on our roads."
Police said the driver did not stop after striking Leal, and they’re looking for a white Toyota Corolla that now has damage to the front right bumper.
"It becomes harder and harder to enforce laws out there when we don’t have the law enforcement necessary, and they don’t have the directive to control people’s behavior as they engage in the privilege of driving," Lansdell said.
There have been two pedestrians and two cyclists killed in Charlotte this year.
