A 69-year-old grandfather has died after his bicycle struck a large pothole in Pennsylvania, United States. Joseph Kenas was cycling on Morris Road in Fort Washington, a suburb of Philadelphia, on 10 March when the accident occurred. He was taken to hospital but died three days later from his injuries.
Kenas, a father of three and grandfather of five, was described by his son Stephen as an adventurous and loving family man. On the day of the accident, Kenas had been enjoying warm weather and had been urged by his wife Elizabeth to return home in time for dinner. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Stephen Kenas told NBC10 that the family realised the severity of his father's injuries after seeing test results. 'They wanted to do an MRI to check for brain activity, and once we got results, we knew that, unfortunately, his life was pretty much lifeless, and there's no brain activity,' he said. The family then made the difficult decision to withdraw life support.
The pothole has since been filled, but locals say craters on Morris Road are common. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has received more than 13,000 reports of road defects in the southeastern part of the state in the past year, including two about Morris Road. One report was made on the day of Kenas's accident, though it is unclear if it was before or after the incident.
Stuart Leon, an attorney who represents bicycle crash victims, said his clients frequently complain about the condition of Morris Road. 'I've seen people talking about getting their car tires blown out. Think about the harm that's done when a bicycle rider gets crashed out by a pot hole. We're talking about head trauma, broken teeth,' he said.
Stephen Kenas said cycling was one of his father's passions, along with skiing and fishing. Kenas's obituary described him as 'extraordinarily kind, generous, and patient' and 'the leader of our family'.
