Approximate location of crash; click map
A truck driver who struck and killed a bicyclist early Sunday morning in a rural area southeast of Seattle pulled over and shot himself with a handgun after realizing he had just killed his friend.
People in the Enumclaw area who knew the two young men are trying to come to terms with the tragic events. They created a small memorial with flowers and a candle at the scene.
Dead are Steven D. Relford, 20, the cyclist and Geoffrey M. Godley, 24, of Buckley, the driver of the pickup truck, according to the Seattle Times. Godley's cousin, 27, was a passenger in the pickup, which he owned.
Good friends
Acquaintances said that Relford and Godley hung out together and liked to hunt and fish. Relford's father, Gary, told the Times:
“They knew each other like brothers and sisters. That's why this thing turned tragic with Geoff taking his life.”
Relford, known around town by the nickname “Loaf,” worked at odd jobs at a dairy farm and had celebrated his 20th birthday on Saturday with his family. Then he went to celebrate at a friend's house. He called home from that party several times to tell his mother he had a designated driver, but decided to ride a bicycle the home.
Relford was riding south on 228 Avenue SE near the intersection of SE 444th Street at about 2:10 Sunday morning when he was struck from behind by the pickup truck.
The driver of the pickup, Godley, stopped and got out. When he realized he had just killed his friend, he commited suicide with a handgun.
Investigating causes
Godley had been celebrating his friend's birthday earlier in the evening. The King County Sheriff's department said that Godley and his cousin had just left a bar and that alcohol might have been a “contributing factor.” Another vehicle passing the pickup might have distracted the driver from seeing the cyclist in the road in front of him.
Earlier published reports that Relford and Godley were part of a group of men celebrating his birthday at a bar on Saturday were not substatianted during the day.
Earlier reports at KING5.com and Seattle Times.
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