History of Ghost Bikes and Why One Just Went Up in Wichita Falls

You might notice a new installation in Wichita Falls in front of the Vitro facility. This is what is known as a 'ghost bike' and many may not know the story behind why these go up.

Back in March of this year, two cyclists were struck by a vehicle off of a service road on I-44. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the two cyclists were pronounced dead at the scene. 45-year-old Kevin Reese and 23-year-old Mckaylee Reese. You can watch the original news report on the accident back in March above.

Ghost Bike Installed in Wichita Falls to Honor the Victims

This morning around 8AM a ghost bike memorial was installed near where the accident took place. The two white bikes are there to encourage riders to take caution and be on the lookout for cyclists. According to DPS the driver behind the pair was “inattentive, failed to control speed” and struck the rear of the cyclists.

Who Started Ghost Bikes?

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Technically bike art installations have been a thing for decades. The first person credited with doing a ghost bike to honor an accident victim is Patrick Van Der Tuin. He saw a car drift into a bike lane and strike a woman riding her bicycle. It happened a block from his house and he installed a white bicycle where the accident took place with a sign that read 'Cyclist Struck Here'.

He started to notice people slowing down in the area after the 'ghost bike' word start to spread. Patrick started the movement in St. Louis, but it has turned into a worldwide tradition to honor bicycle accident victims. Hopefully, we never have to put up another ghost bike in Wichita Falls.