West Burlington bicyclist struck by pickup dies

Tue November 13 2007
Posted Nov 13, 2007
6,311

By JOHN MANGALONZO jmangalonzo@thehawkeye.com WEST BURLINGTON -- A Michigan mother is asking questions as she mourns the death of her son, who died Friday night after being hit by a pickup while riding his bicycle to work. Douglas Kenney, 21, originally was from Sparta, Mich. He moved to West Burlington three months ago to live with his grandparents to work and raise some money so he could pursue a college degree, possibly in the computer technology field, his stepfather, Gregory Chertos, said Monday. Kenney died Friday shortly after being taken to Great River Medical Center. His grandparents, who are over-the-road truckers, received the call while in Wyoming. The same call was received in Michigan. "There's no more that could be done," Chertos said. "Needless to say, we made a tough decision." In an e-mail message from Michigan, Kenney's mother, Jennifer Chertos, told The Hawk Eye of her son's untimely death. She said she does not believe the sun's glare, as investigators suspect, caused the accident. She is asking investigators to extensively look into the matter. West Burlington Police Chief Alex Oblein identified the driver of the 1990 Chevrolet pickup that hit Kenney as Marvin Oberly, 61, of Burlington. Oblein said charges are pending the outcome of the investigation. On Friday, Sgt. Shaun Ryan said Oberly was driving west on Mount Pleasant Street at 4 p.m. behind Kenney. Kenney was riding his bicycle on the shoulder and then rode back onto the roadway. The pickup came up from behind and collided with the bicycle. Oblein said Kenney went airborne and landed 114 feet from the point of impact. His bicycle was dragged by the truck and was found 209 feet from where it was hit. The chief said the report noted the possibility that the sun may have reflected off the truck's windshield, making it difficult for Oberly to see Kenney on his bicycle. "We don't know the circumstances of how he (Kenney) would have traveled that far to the right," Gregory Chertos said, adding Kenney was on his way to work at the local truck stop when the accident happened. Kenney, Gregory Chertos said, was reared in Sparta and enjoyed video games and hi-tech gadgets. He said the young man had dreams of working with computers or in a similar field when he moved from Michigan to Iowa. Kenney arrived home in Sparta Sunday. The family will receive friends today. The funeral will be Wednesday.