Bicyclist In Frick Park Accident Dies

PITTSBURGH, PA - The bicyclist critically injured in a crash in Frick Park last week has died. Chuck Leavitt died Wednesday, seven days after he hit a tree head-on and fell down a hillside in Nine Mile Run Hollow near Commercial Street in Swisshelm Park.

The accident left Mr. Leavitt with facial and skull fractures, a C2-3 vertebrae fracture, a significant concussion and spinal contusions, according to Ian Saracco, who established a GoFundMe page for the Leavitt family.

"Chuck is a great person who is always willing to help anyone in need but most importantly is a great husband and father," Saracco wrote shortly after the accident occurred. "He has always enjoyed taking his family on riding trips, boating excursions, and any outdoor adventures they can dream up."

Mr. Leavitt was a mechanical engineer for the Elliott Group in Jeannette, according to Danny Chew, the well-known Pittsburgh cyclist who co-founded the Dirty Dozen bike race and who was paralyzed in a bike accident in 2016. Chew said in a Facebook post that the accident had left Mr. Leavitt paralyzed and on a ventilator.

Mr. Leavitt is survived by his wife and three children.