'These are our neighbors': Police, survivors share new details of Goodyear crash that killed 2 cyclists, injured 17

Goodyear officials shared new details on Monday about the vehicle collision involving a Ford F-250 pickup that plowed into a group of bicyclists, killing two and injuring 17 others Saturday morning.

Goodyear Mayor Joe Pizzillo also offered his condolences to those whom the fatal collision had impacted.

"We have a tight-knit cycling community, so this has deeply affected many across the West Valley," Pizzillo said at a news conference at the city's police station. "But a tragedy like this affects the entire community of Goodyear."

Pizzillo also took a moment to thank the first responders who rendered aid to the cyclists and the investigators digging into how the collision occurred.

Police say 26-year-old Pedro Quintana-Lujan traveled south while driving the truck on Cotton Lane Bridge at around 7:57 a.m. when he crashed into the group of cyclists. Court documents state Quintana-Lujan told police that his steering was locked when the vehicle began drifting to the right and into the cyclists.

Documents say he eventually let off the gas and regained control of the vehicle before bringing it to a stop in the middle of the bridge where he remained as first responders arrived. Quintana-Lujan told police at one point that he was traveling between 40-45 mph and later estimated his speed was between 45-50 mph. It was not immediately clear what the bridge's posted speed limit was.

More on the crash:2 bicyclists dead, 11 seriously injured after pickup truck crash in Goodyear

Goodyear Police Chief Santiago Rodriguez also offered thoughts and prayers for the families of those injured or killed in the collision, and cautioned that investigators faced a plethora of unanswered questions as the investigation continued.

"I am being straightforward with you," Rodriguez said. "We don't even have all the answers we need to finish this investigation yet."

Rodriguez identified the two cyclists killed as 61-year-old Karen Malisa of Goodyear who was pronounced dead at the scene and 65-year-old David Kero, who was visiting from Michigan and died at the hospital.

Rodriguez said there was no indication that Quintana-Lujan intended to crash into the group of cyclists or whether speed or impairment were factors. He added that police obtained a sample of Quintana-Lujan's blood to be tested. It was unclear when the results of the blood test would be available.

Court documents state Quintana-Lujan told police that he was a contractor on his way to a job site from Chandler. He told investigators he had smoked marijuana with his wife the prior evening — roughly 11 hours before the collision.

Police ultimately booked Quintana-Lujan into jail on two counts of manslaughter, three counts of aggravated assault, 18 counts of endangerment and two counts of causing serious injury or death by a moving violation. He is being held on a $250,000 bond.

Initial response:Driver of pickup truck arrested after fatal crash with cyclists in Goodyear

Cyclists describe collision scene

Two bicyclists who were part of the cycling group, Paul Theisen and Steven Rhone — the latter of whom was injured in the collision — also attended the news conference to seek more information from police and later spoke to media about what they experienced.

"What actually struck me wasn't the truck," Rhone said. "It was the actual bodies and bike parts that were being pushed up (from) the truck."

Rhone said he didn't need to go to the hospital for his injuries but had an appointment with his physician later on Monday to check his injuries.

Theisen, who estimated he was about a mile behind the group when the crash occurred, said about eight people remained hospitalized as of Monday afternoon. He noted that the Cotton Lane Bridge was the safest part of their route, with two lanes in both directions and a dedicated bike path.

Auto insurance rates are spiking:Here's what you can do to save money

Both Theisen and Rhone said they saw a man in the passenger seat of Quintana-Lujan's truck. Rhone said he saw Quintana-Lujan call someone on his phone but didn't know who. He added that Quintana-Lujan didn't attempt to render first-aid to anyone.

Theisen said he didn't know Kero but had known Malisa for some time.

"She's an amazing person," Theisen said. "Former teacher from the west valley. A lot of kids grew up under her tutelage in the west valley. She's a very positive, jovial, happy person. Sadly, I didn't know the visiting person from Michigan. But these are our neighbors. These are our community — doctors, lawyers, military veterans — of which I am one. Just people from all walks of life and it's a very tight group of people."

City stresses importance of bike safety

Lisa Berry, a spokesperson for the Goodyear Police Department, said after the news conference that the city believes the crash was an isolated incident. Berry said she isn't aware of any other accidents that have taken place at the location of the crash.

And Berry said there haven't been many bicycle accidents in the city at other locations either. The city has hosted several events in the past few years without any issues, said Berry.

Last spring, a 13-year-old boy was killed in a hit-and-run near 182nd and San Gabriel drives, although Berry said that also was an isolated incident.

The Tour de Cure bike event, which is a fundraiser organized by the American Diabetes Association, will be returning to the city on March 18. Berry said there will be emergency personnel on site in case of any accidents.

The city is committed to bicycle safety, in other ways as well, said Berry. Officials from different departments have workshops in elementary schools to teach children about bike safety.

Bicyclists have as many rights as any other vehicle on the road, said Berry, and must be given a 3-foot buffer by other vehicles.

The city has been growing the number of bike lanes since 2000 as the city has developed, said city spokesperson Tammy Vo. Bike lanes will continue to get added to roadway frontages for any city or private development projects.

Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or perry.vandell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @PerryVandell.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New details of Goodyear crash that killed 2 cyclists, injured 17