Family mourns bicyclist killed in crash
Humor, generosity, work ethic were key traits of father of six
David Squires had been riding his bike for years. He didn’t drive, and his 18-speed bicycle was the longtime electrician’s way of getting around Spokane.
Squires, 56, was riding that bike when he was struck by a car and killed as he crossed Sprague Avenue while southbound on Division Street on March 1.
Now, after more than a week of grief, his family is hoping to share good memories of a man known for his sense of humor, storytelling and generosity.
A celebration of life will take place Friday at Mama’s Thai Lounge in Spokane Valley, where Squires’ stepdaughter, Alicia Fowler, works.
“I just want to be able to laugh about the good times and not cry about the bad times,” Fowler said. “Dave wouldn’t want us to be sad.”
Friends sometimes called Squires, a father of six, “Dave, Dave, the electrical slave” because of his work ethic, said Fowler, 24.
A white bicycle sits near the crash site as a memorial to Squires. His family doesn’t know who placed it there. Similar “ghost bikes” have been placed at the scenes of deadly bicycle accidents around the world.
Squires was riding from his home to Dick’s Hamburgers to get a burger for his wife, Christy Fowler, when he was struck by a Dodge pickup turning onto Sprague from northbound Division, Alicia Fowler said.
He fell off his bike and was run over by the truck, which police believe was driven by Scott C. Reckord, 49.
Reckord, who owns Sullivan Scoreboard restaurant in Spokane Valley, faces charges of vehicular homicide and felony hit-and-run after witnesses followed him through downtown after the collision. Police say he failed a sobriety test when he returned to the scene.
Reckord is out of jail on $50,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in Spokane County Superior Court on Monday. He did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Bobby Curtis and her son followed Reckord’s truck, flashing their lights and honking the horn, as her husband, Jeffrey Curtis, gave Squires first aid, police said.
Bobby Curtis “confronted the defendant when they got back to the scene and he denied realizing he had hit anything,” according to court documents.
Squires was pronounced dead at a downtown hospital from skull fractures caused by blunt impact to the head.
Squires was born in South Dakota and raised in Spokane. He graduated from North Central High School in 1971. His mother owned a bar in Spokane Valley; that’s where he met Christy.
“They were soul mates,” Alicia Fowler said. “She’s never been alone in 20 years.”
Christy Fowler, a bartender at Mayfair Restaurant in downtown Spokane, hasn’t returned to work since her husband’s death. Alicia Fowler said she hopes friends can help cheer them up Friday with stories of better times.
Alicia Fowler’s husband is a drummer in the rock band Nighthawk, which will perform at Friday’s benefit. Squires often attended the band’s shows.
Meanwhile, Alicia Fowler is urging her sons to be cautious on their bicycles.
“You always worry about your kids getting hit, but you never think about your father,” she said. “If it can happen to a grown man it can happen to anyone.”