No charges will be filed after a vehicle and bicycle collided in a fatal accident on June 12 in Upper Gwynedd Township. Photo by James Short.
John Erven Stone, 55, of Upper Gwynedd lost his life on impact during the vehicle vs. bicycle accident.
A June 12 evening accident that left one cyclist dead was the subject of a recent investigation by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and the Upper Gwynedd Township Police Department. According to a press release issued on Monday, June 21, the fatal bicycle versus vehicle crash that occurred on Allentown Road near Green Street will not result in any criminal charges against the motor vehicle operator.
According to police, the bicyclist, John Erven Stone, 55, of the 1400 block of Oxford Circle in Upper Gwynedd, was traveling southeast on Allentown Road when a 2019 Honda Accord was also driving in the same direction. The name of the driver was not released by police.
UGPD said that an investigation showed that Stone attempted to cross over Allentown Road toward Green Street, moving directly in the pathway of a motor vehicle. While the operator of the Honda “attempted to break and swerve to avoid the collision,” police said, they were unable to do so in time. Police said Stone was wearing earbuds with “noise-cancelling technology” at the time of the accident.
Despite multiple bystanders, police, and EMS performing life-saving measures, Stone succumbed to injuries, which police announced Friday, June 13. A coroner’s report stated that the cause of death was a ligamentous separation of the spinal column from the skull base, often referred to as an internal decapitation. Stone was said to have died on impact, according to police.
Bicyclist John Erven Stone, 55, of Upper Gwynedd, was determined to have died on impact as a result of the June 12 incident.“We wanted to thank everyone who stopped to assist and for the community’s patience and understanding while the roads were closed, police posted on the department’s Facebook page. Roads in the vicinity were closed from the time dispatch received the calls, around 6 p.m. on June 12, until 10:12 p.m.
As a result of the police and DA’s investigation, no charges will be brought against the driver of the car.
“Evidence determined that the crash was unavoidable by the operator of the vehicle due to these factors: the determined distance between the vehicle and the bicycle, perception and reaction time, vehicle’s velocity, and brake power of the vehicle,” said the release. “The operator cooperated fully with the investigation.”
Police said their thoughts are with Stone’s family during the past few weeks.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of John Stone,” said the release. “Our thoughts are with you during this extremely difficult time of mourning.”
