Truck kills Royersford woman in triathlon

OHIO >> A 44-year-old Royersford woman was struck and killed by a truck Sunday morning while competing in the biking portion of an Iron Man triathalon competition north of Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio Highway Patrol identified the woman as Kristen J. Oswald and confirmed her husband was also competing in the race and it took “several hours” to locate him and inform him of his wife’s death.

Ohio Highway Patrol Lieutenant Robert Sellers said Oswald was killed on U.S. Route 23, which he described as a major route between Flint, Michigan through Ohio and into West Virginia.

“It’s a divided four-lane highway, a major U.S. Route,” Sellers said.

According to the statement from police, Oswald, who was wearing a helmet, was struck by a Freightliner tractor-trailer driven by Claude Tremblay, 55, of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

Oswald was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Tremblay was wearing a seatbelt and was uninjured, police said.

Sellers said the investigation indicates Oswald had veered out of the safety zone for the racers, which was separated from vehicle traffic by cones set up by the race organizers. The speed limit for vehicles was reduced to 35 miles per hour.

According to comments posted on the IRONMAN

70.3 Ohio Facebook page, the entire right lane of the highway had been reserved for the bicycle racers.

“The driver of the truck was in the proper lane of travel, we don’t anticipate any charges being filed,” Sellers said Monday.

There were many condolences posted on the race’s Facebook page.

Racer Danny Chmelina from Berwyn, Ill, posted “I was about 50 yards away when this happened, it’s something that sticks with you, the whole incident, I finished the race with a heavy heart. My condolences to her friends and family.”

Race organizers posted the following statement: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our athletes at IRONMAN 70.3 Ohio. Shortly after beginning

the bike portion of the race, there was an incident with the athlete and a vehicle. Our condolences go out to the athlete’s family and friends, whom we will continue to support.”

According to a July 28 report in The Delaware Gazette, “the competition consisted of a 1.2-mile swim beginning and ending on the shores of the beach at Delaware State Park. After the swim, athletes biked north into Marion County before looping through Morrow County and finishing back in Delaware at Selby Stadium, where a 13.1-mile run begins.”

More than 2,500 participants were scheduled to compete in the event, according to the report.

Attempts to reach Oswald’s husband were unsuccessful.