The death of D.C. resident and cyclist Oludare Adekoya, who was killed in a crash Tuesday in Logan Circle, is prompting an outpouring of concern as well as calls for safety improvements in the area.
The collision happened in a traffic circle where everyone — motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians — is moving in close contact with each other, and a single misjudgment can have tragic consequences. Adding to that: low visibility during Tuesday’s constant rain.
Police said the preliminary investigation found Adekoya, who was riding an electric bike, was merging from the park in Logan Circle onto Rhode Island Avenue. After realizing he was on the wrong side, he attempted to correct course but could not avoid impacting a box truck.
The box truck did stay on the scene.
Bicycle riders who regularly travel through the circle said it needs improvements to protect cyclists and pedestrians.
“We need to figure out what happened. We need to make sure it doesn’t happen again, and we need to make it safer,” said Elizabeth Kiker with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. “The ANC, ANC 2F, had asked DDOT for a safety study of that intersection in January of this year, so it’s a known dangerous intersection, and it’s a place that people really are encouraged to bike and walk, and we’ve got to make it better.”
News4 reached out to DDOT to ask about that safety study but has not heard back.
Adekoya, who was 60, leaves behind two children.
His ex-wife, Dawn, told News4 he is gone much too soon.
“It’s just unbelievable, you know, really unbelievable,” she said. “It’s unexpected, and that’s the biggest thing. It’s like what happened is he’s not here, but you still have that why, you know. That’s our struggle right now — is the why.”
The collision remains under investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Major Crash Unit.
So far, there are no charges in this case.