DECATUR, Ga. — A family is now grieving after a prominent bicycle injury attorney was killed as he rode his bicycle home.
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Ken Rosskopf spent decades fighting and litigating on behalf of cyclists’ rights.
DeKalb police say since this crash involved a fatality, it is still under investigation.
“I just remember Ken for his kindness and his smile,” Ken’s wife, Linda Rosskopf, said.
Linda Rosskopf says she met her future husband in the 1980s, when he asked her to dance.
“His smile and his frivolity and his joy of life are really what attracted me, and he was kind of a goofy dancer, but he didn’t care,” Linda Rosskopf told Channel 2’s Michael Doudna. “He was a lover of life. He liked to do things that were exciting and new.”
Over the years, she says she watched as he developed a special passion for cycling.
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For decades, he won medals in competitions, all the while defending cyclists’ rights in courts.
He would eventually support his law partner Bruce Hagen in forming Georgia Bike Law.
“He was a mentor and a friend and a guru,” Hagen said. “Any lawyer can represent any client. But when you give back and you’re part of the community that you’re giving back to, it creates a certain meaningful connection that you have that can change your outlook on life.”
Ken Rosskopf retired from full-time work in 2016 but was still involved in the firm and community.
Just last Thursday, Ken Rosskopf stopped by the office to give a bike to an individual in need before going on an evening group ride himself.
However, as he was riding home, the police report says he attempted to turn left when he was hit by a truck. Ken was three houses away from his home.
“When I saw the windshield, and that’s what really made me catch my breath,” Linda Rosskopf said.
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Linda Rosskopf arrived on scene to see a smashed windshield and her husband hurt, but before being loaded into the ambulance, he had a message.
“He looked up at me and he said, I love you so much. Those were our last words,” Linda Rosskopf said.
He passed away the next day.
In his wake, his family and friends say he leaves a legacy of living life to the fullest and supporting those who chase their passions.
“The irony there is apparent; the poetry of it is also apparent. I mean, here’s a guy who lived his life in the saddle of a bike and spread so much joy through cycling that you know his final act was on a bicycle,” Hagen said.
“We will be OK. It’s been a great ride,” Linda Rosskopf said.
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