A bicyclist killed Wednesday morning in Sandy Springs was on his way to work when a woman allegedly under the influence of alcohol hit him, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Marten Bijvank, 29, of Sandy Springs, had just graduated with two degrees from Arizona State University, the victim’s wife, Valentina Fiorillo, told the news station. Starbucks, his employer, paid for his tuition, she said.
According to Sandy Springs police Sgt. Sam Worsham, Bijvank was riding his bicycle southbound on Roswell Road when he was struck by a Chrysler sedan driven by 34-year-old Antoinette Battle of Atlanta.
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
She came to a stop about 100 yards up the road. Battle was taken into custody on charges of first-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving and DUI shortly after officers arrived around 5 a.m., Worsham said.
Bijvank’s bike was broken in half as a result of the crash, police said. He died at the scene.
“It's my life. It's my everything, gone because somebody made a wrong decision one day,” Fiorollo told Channel 2. “Learn a lesson please. Don't let my husband have died for no reason.”
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Roswell Road was shut down in both directions at Trowbridge Road for nearly four hours while authorities investigated the deadly crash.
Some lanes began reopening around 7:30 a.m., according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. All lanes were reopened just before 9 a.m.
Channel 2 reported the Starbucks where Bijvank worked closed down Wednesday for employees to grieve his death.
Fiorollo told the news station she met Bijvank online and went to a Bonaroo Music and Arts Festival in 2012. Bijvank was living in Netherlands with his family at the time, so Fiorollo proposed, and Bijvank moved to Atlanta.
“We lived a very simple life with our two cats in our small apartment together, but we were really happy,” Fiorollo said.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
In other news:
