A 56-year-old bicyclist from Queens was killed when a tree fell on him along the C&O Canal towpath in Montgomery County.
Neil R. Reich of Forest Hills, N.Y., was on a two-day bike ride from Harpers Ferry to Washington with another person when a storm broke out Sunday evening, according to National Park Service spokesman Bill Line.
The companion had gone up ahead but turned back when Reich didn’t follow. The person then found Reich under a tree that had fallen near the 33-mile marker, close to White’s Ferry, and called 911 around 7:50 p.m., Line said.
Montgomery County emergency crews chainsawed their way to Reich. He had injuries from being struck by the tree and appears to have gone into cardiac arrest, as well, Line said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
