Pompey (WSYR-TV) – An off-duty state trooper was killed Friday morning after a car struck him as he was bicycling along Route 20 in the Town of Pompey.
John Gorke, 47, of Manlius was struck and killed by a vehicle heading westbound on Route 20 shortly after 8:30am Friday. The incident happened approximately 100 yards east of Pompey Center Road.
Gorke was a 19-year veteran of the state police force.
State Police say Gorke was off-duty at the time; he was travelling with a second bicyclist, getting some exercise before his shift started later in the day. Gorke was heading westbound on the shoulder of Route 20, when police say a vehicle veered off onto the shoulder of the road and struck Gorke when the driver tried to get back on the road.
Investigators taking measurements at the scene of Friday's fatal car/bicycle accident. (WSYR NewsChannel 9)
Police say the driver of that vehicle, Charles Brewer, 20, had passed the first bicyclist, who had been traveling approximately 50 yards behind Gorke. Police say it is not clear why Brewer veered off the roadway onto the shoulder of the road.
It is not clear yet whether speed was a factor in the crash. Police are also looking into whether Brewer was on his cell phone around the time of the crash.
Gorke was pronounced dead just after 9:00 a.m.
“It’s always difficult to investigate the death of any individual,” says Capt. Jeff Raub with the New York State Police. “When it’s one of our own, it’s just amplified, and it becomes increasingly hard to deal with the emotional aspect of looking at one of your colleagues who has just passed away.”
Investigators say Brewer was returning to his Steuben County home from Morrisville, where he works as a counselor.
No tickets were immediately issued.
Both bicyclists had proper gear on, including helmets, which is not required by New York State law.
Gorke was a 19-year veteran with the New York State Police, assigned to the State Thruway – Syracuse barracks. He was a member of the marine unit.
Gorke leaves behind a wife and three children.
Multiple crashes at same intersection
On October 30, 2008, Mary Miller of Fabius was killed, when she was broadsided by a vehicle heading west on Route 20. State Troopers at the time had said Miller was headed south on Pompey Center Road, and was stopped for a stop sign. When she had started to proceed across Route 20, she was broadsided by a westbound driver.
Troopers said the other driver had the right of way.
In December 2008, a car went off Route 20 and crashed into Pompey Town Hall, causing a lot of damage. The crash shook up Town Supervisor Carole Marsh, who called the state Department of Transportation and asked that they put a traffic light at the intersection. The state denied the request, saying it was unnecessary.
Marsh says there is a renewed effort to get the State Department of Transportation to look in to the intersection of Route 20 and Pompey Center Road.
Marsh says shortly after the accident she got in touch with the DOT and hopes to hear back from them next week. She hopes this time, the state changes its mind about the need for a traffic light.
A state DOT spokesperson declined to comment about why they haven't installed a light there yet.
Last summer, the state reduced the speed limit along Route 20 near Route 91 from 55 miles per hour to 40.
