JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two people died after a crash Saturday night involving a car and a bicycle on Jacksonville's Westside.
Investigators said Ashley Nier, 26, was riding her bicycle about 10 p.m. on the sidewalk of Wilson Boulevard, near Firestone Road, when Michael Ciopryna, 75, drifted across two lanes of traffic heading west on Wilson. Ciopryna’s car then went up on the sidewalk and struck the Nier before colliding with a concrete pole.
Ciopryna died at the scene, officers said. Nier was taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries.
April Greene and her fiancé were driving to a grocery store when they saw the car on the side of the road. That's when they said they pulled over and saw the woman trapped under the power pole.
At that point, they said the 75-year-old driver appeared to be dead, but Nier was still breathing. They helped get the power pole off her, but couldn't save her.
"I was really hoping we had done enough to save her," Greene said. "At first, I thought she was OK and I was like 'c'mon baby fight, fight and I learned she had passed away. I just sat down on the floor and started crying."
Officers said the investigation is ongoing.
Nier's family has created a GoFundMe account to help cover funeral costs and other expenses.