SELIGMAN — Arizona Department of Public Safety detectives are asking for the public’s help after a 28-year-old Seligman man riding a bicycle was struck from behind and killed Friday night on the east side of the historic Route 66 town.
DPS dispatchers began receiving reports of a person lying dead in the roadway near Business Route 40 — State Route 40B — and Crookton Road at 8:38 p.m. on Oct. 2, the agency said in a news release issued Sunday. Troopers reached the scene four minutes later and found the rider and a damaged bicycle.
The victim was identified as Kevin Michael Lamere-O’Dell of Seligman. According to DPS, he was riding a maroon-and-black bicycle on the eastbound shoulder of SR 40B when a vehicle came up behind him and hit him. He died at the scene.
The release did not describe the vehicle, identify a driver, or say whether the driver stayed at the scene. The case has been assigned to the DPS Vehicular Crimes Unit, which handles serious and fatal collisions on state highways.
Investigators asked anyone who saw the crash, or who was driving through the area around that time and noticed anything unusual, to call 877-4AZ-TIPS or submit information online at azdps.gov/tips. Callers should reference incident number I26060912.
A small town on a busy road
Seligman, in northern Yavapai County roughly midway between Kingman and Williams, is known as a birthplace of the Route 66 preservation movement and draws a steady stream of tourists. SR 40B serves as the town’s main street before connecting with Interstate 40, and the Crookton Road junction on the east end links to the freeway.
Arizona law requires drivers to leave at least three feet of space when passing a bicyclist. Safety advocates also urge riders to use front and rear lights and reflective gear after dark.
The death is one of several DPS traffic cases released this weekend. The agency also shared dashcam and bodycam video of a wrong-way driver in Flagstaff who crashed into a parked, lights-on patrol car and was arrested on suspicion of DUI, FOX 10 reported.
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress (public domain) via rawpixel. Historic Route 66 in Seligman; not from the scene.