75 MPH: Prosecutors Charge Burlington County, NJ, Man in Fatal Crash With Cyclist

Authorities say a man from Burlington County has been charged for causing the death of a cyclist he hit with his pickup truck while driving at a high rate of speed last year.

According to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina, 20-year-old Dylan Weatherwalks has been charged with second-degree vehicular homicide. He surrendered to police on Thursday.

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Coffina's office says on the afternoon of December 4th,

"[Weatherwalks] came upon a group of cyclists while traveling southbound along Sykesville Road, a two-lane roadway with no shoulders. Weatherwalks veered into the northbound lane to pass the cyclists on a hill with an obstructed view of oncoming traffic. . . . [As he] crested the hill, he encountered a vehicle traveling toward him and veered back into the southbound lane, over-correcting and striking cyclist Julie Galezniak, 62, of Stratford."

Galezniak was thrown from her bike and sustained severe injuries, including a fractured skull. She was airlifted to a local hospital and died later that afternoon.

Police say Weatherwalks was allegedly traveling at 75 MPH as he approached the cyclists. The posted speed limit is 50.

In addition to the criminal charges, Weatherwalks was issued traffic summonses for speeding, reckless driving, careless driving, and improper passing.

Weatherwalks was being held in the Burlington County Jail pending a first appearance in Superior Court.

The public is reminded that charges are accusations and all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.