PORTLAND, Ore. (BRAIN) — Alistair Corkett, a salesperson at The Bike Gallery's Clackamas store, is recovering from surgery after being struck by a truck while riding Sunday morning at a busy and dangerous intersection in Southeast Portland.
Corkett, 22, lost his right leg in the collision with the pickup, which turned left in front of Corkett, according to a news report in The Oregonian. Corkett was riding with another Bike Gallery employee who was able to avoid the truck.
According to Clackamas store manager Brandon Bruins, Corkett was in good spirits following the first surgery. But he had no idea how long Corkett's recovery would take or when he would return to work or be back on a bike.
"We hope he gets back on his bike, but it will be a long road," Bruins said.
Bruins described Corkett as a history buff who was always reading. Corkett also raced bikes for many years. He's on the Monster Media Racing team, and was part of the development squad for the Northwest chapter. His personal coach for the past two years, Bryant Howard, launched a GoFundMe campaign Monday morning to raise $50,000 for Corkett's hospital bills and to help pay for additional surgeries. By Tuesday, the fundraising goal had been increased to $100,000, and the campaign had raised $52,000.
"Alistair is a passionate and hardworking young man with a wonderful sense of humor and soft-spoken manner. In addition to his passion for cycling, he is working toward a degree in history and plans to pursue a career in teaching. ... The severity of this accident could have killed him and he's in a pretty dark place right now about losing his leg, but we are hopeful that we can mobilize the community to lift him up a bit and let him know that he doesn't have to face this obstacle alone. We are hopeful that the community will come together on Alistair's behalf to provide resources and support as he embarks on what will be a painful and lengthy recovery," read the GoFundMe page.
