​Approximately 6:29 p.m. (local time), on Tuesday, June 7, 2016, a 1996 Chevrolet pickup truck operated by a 50-year-old male was traveling northbound on North Westnedge Avenue in Cooper Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan. The truck approached a northbound group of nine cyclists traveling in a single file line on the 4-foot-wide shoulder adjacent to the travel lane. The cyclists were part of a private bicycle group that was participating in a 28.5-mile recreational ride. The truck left the travel lane and went onto the shoulder, striking all nine cyclists in succession. The truck continued northbound for some distance before coming to final rest across a drainage ditch. The truck driver fled the scene but was later apprehended by responding officers. As a result of the collision, five cyclists died and four cyclists were seriously injured.