Death of Cyclist Costs Company Millions

By CAROLYN SZCZEPANSKI

Photos courtesy Denise Henning

The scene at the intersection of 12th Street and Grand Boulevard on the afternoon of June 9, 2006, was grisly. A mangled red bike lay against the curb at the end of a long streak of blood. Its rider, 65-year-old John Triggs, was a block away, pinned under the rear wheels of a massive concrete mixer.

Just before 4 p.m., Triggs had started across the street on a green light when an industrial truck struck and dragged him to his ultimate death.

The driver, Jason Driskell, told police he didn’t see Triggs and didn’t get so much as a traffic ticket. The company, Fordyce Concrete Company, wasn’t held liable for the fatal accident, either.

So last year, Triggs’ wife and two sons filed a wrongful death suit against Driskell and the Overland Park-based business.

This month, just a few days before the trial was to begin, Fordyce and the family reached a $2 million settlement.