Cyclist Retrieving Flag Hit On Interstate, Killed

Wed., June 2, 1999

From Staff

Two cars hit and killed a man early Tuesday as he attempted to pick up a small American flag in the center lane of Interstate 5, police said.

The man was bicycling near the freeway in the Jantzen Beach area when he saw the flag and decided to go get it.

Southbound traffic from Vancouver backed up for miles as police investigated the accident. Three cars were damaged, but no other major injuries were reported.

Police spokeswoman Sgt. Cheryl Kanzler said the man was a transient and his belongings were attached to his bicycle alongside the highway. She said officers aren’t sure whether the flag blew off his bike and he went to retrieve it or if it had dropped off another vehicle.

His name was being withheld pending notification of his family.

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