As cars zipped along Treat Boulevard in the pouring rain Tuesday, a steady stream of people added flowers, teddy bears and personal notes to a sidewalk memorial for Solaiman Nuri and his daughter Hadessa. Mr. Nuri and his two daughters, Hadessa, 9, and Hannah, 12, were riding their bicycles Saturday morning when a 17-year-old high school student driving a white Cadillac Escalade jumped the curb, sheared off the top of a fire hydrant and crashed into the family before hitting a building.
Mr. Nuri, a 41-year-old truck driver, died at the scene; Hadessa was pronounced dead at the hospital. Hannah survived with minor injuries. The driver, who witnesses said was speeding, was arrested Saturday and released from juvenile hall Tuesday, while police continued to investigate whether he was texting or impaired at the time of the crash.
The tragedy has shaken Concord, a city of 122,000 in suburban Contra Costa County. Hundreds gathered for a vigil Sunday evening and again for a funeral Wednesday in Antioch.
Dave Campbell, program director at the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, said that off-street bike trails were important for encouraging bicycling. But he said that on-street lanes were essential because “nobody lives on a trail.