Brown reflects on student biker's death

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - The President of Brown University issued a statement Thursday praising a student who was killed while participating in a charity bike run.

Paige Hicks was riding her bike in South Dakota Tuesday when she was struck by a tractor trailer truck and killed.

The 21-year-old Brown University student was riding her bike across the country to raise money for affordable housing.

Hicks was a route leader in a group of riders organized by the Philadelphia-based Bike & Build nonprofit. She left Providence on June 15 to begin her 3,860-mile ride to Seattle. She had covered 2,200 miles before the accident, raising more the $4,000.

Hicks was on the shoulder of a road near Vetal, South Dakota, checking her cell phone messages when she was hit. She was taking part in her second cross-country charity ride, completing a Providence to San Francisco route last year.

Brown University President Ruth Simmons sent the following letter to the school community:

July 22, 2010

To Members of the Brown Community:

A tragic cycling accident has claimed the life of Paige Hicks ’11. Paige was serving as a trip leader for the Bike and Build program, a nonprofit organization that raises money for affordable housing. Having completed the Providence to San Francisco ride last summer, she was en route from Providence to Seattle when the accident occurred in South Dakota on July 20. We are profoundly saddened by her death.

Passionate about the ways that the Bike and Build program helped her to see connections between health care, education, and homelessness, Paige was a devoted member of the Brown community whose efforts touched many. A Human Biology concentrator with a focus on Brain and Behavior, she was completing her requirements for medical school while pursuing her strong interest in medieval history and religious studies. In fall 2009, she studied the history of Islam and the Spanish civil war in Barcelona. Paige was a member of Brown’s ultimate frisbee team and served as a woman peer counselor.

We extend our deepest sympathies to Paige’s family and friends. ... We anticipate holding a memorial service for family and friends during the fall semester.

In celebrating Paige’s life, we will especially remember, respect and endeavor to follow her wonderful example of passion and commitment to others.

Sincerely,

Ruth J. Simmons

Simmons says Brown University is planning a memorial in Hicks' honor for the fall, which would have been the beginning of her senior year.