Crime & Safety

Fatal Accident Occurred on 'Rim Bender' Trail Section

Police have identified the man who died in a Jan. 1 accident at Harbins Park as Larry Steward, 60, of Winder, Ga.

Gwinnett County Police have released additional details regarding the Jan. 1 accident that claimed the life of a 60-year-old man.

According to the GCPD incident report, the man, identified as Larry Steward of Winder, was bicycling with two other men when the accident occurred. One of the cyclists said he and Steward had discussed the need to exercise caution on a portion of the trail called "Rim Bender." Rim Bender, the report stated, is a section of trail composed of two steep humps on a hillside. 

"[The witness] stated he was first and successfully navigated the obstacle, however when he looked back he saw that Mr. Steward had crashed," the officer wrote in the report.

The other witness, who was traveling behind Steward at the time of the accident, said Steward went forward over his handlebars. Steward was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

By the time the two men reached him, Steward was not breathing and did not have a pulse.

Both men performed CPR on Steward until other cyclists arrived to assist. Those cyclists continued to perform CPR until fire personnel were able to reach the scene.

Fire personnel were delayed in reaching the scene due to the remote location of the accident. Police were dispatched at 11:05 a.m. The first units reached the park at 11:17 a.m., but were unable to locate the cyclists based on the description provided by the callers.

One of the witnesses met police in the parking lot at 11:30 a.m. and led them to the scene. According to the incident report, officers drove 1.7 miles on a paved trail and then traveled 1-2 miles back on an unpaved trail, reaching Steward's location, which was near the back boundary line of the park, at 11:49 a.m. with the assistance of another cyclist and GCPD's Air 1. Fire personnel arrived a short time afterward and determined Steward was deceased.

The investigation was subsequently turned over to the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office.

Steward's death, according to an earlier statement from police, is believed to be accidental and no foul play is suspected.

See also:


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.