South Bend, IN : Determined young cyclist relied on his bike, until a fatal crash in South Bend on Sunday, 1st November, 2020

SOUTH BEND — At 20, Cory Martin held off on getting a driver’s license until he could secure a car. His mom, Nicole Beals, offered her car, but she said of her persistent son, “He wanted to do it on his own.”

So he rode a bike most places. Unless he walked. That includes the route along bike lanes from their house on Mishawaka Avenue toward downtown, where he worked at Jimmy John’s.

On Oct. 19, he left that job after closing and headed to see an old high school friend/co-worker who lived at Hickory Village Apartments. He texted his mom for the last time. Over his back, he strapped on the mesh bag with cookies that her friend’s boyfriend had requested.

At about 8:18 p.m., police got a call that a car had hit him on his bike at Edison Road and Helmen Drive. A doctor and at least one nurse stopped and tried to save him, Martin’s dad, Jason Martin, said. Cory Martin was soon pronounced dead at the hospital.

Investigators are still looking for the driver of the red 2015-2017 Hyundai Sonata that allegedly hit him and fled.

“When you’re driving, you’ve got to be cautious of your surroundings,” Beals said Thursday on the phone, sitting in her car at the crash site, where volunteers have erected a “ghost bike” to raise awareness and where family and friends have added flowers and an old Jimmy John’s sign with messages of love.

She watched as cars sped beyond the 30 miles per hour speed limit — as they often do.

“Now when I see someone on a bike, I try to protect them,” she said.

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