Donations continue to be made for a biker who was severely injured in New Mexico after riding for more than 2,600 miles.
John O’Malley was coming near the end of the 2,700-mile Tour Divide bike ride when he was found injured near Silver City, just 125 miles from the finish of a ride that began in Banff, Alberta, Canada. O’Malley was riding to raise scholarship funds in memory of his late brother Ryan when his family learned there had been an accident.
“On Friday, July 15, it was a really scary night,” Katie O’Malley, John’s daughter, told KOB. “We didn’t know a lot of the details. We just knew that there was an accident and that my dad was being airlifted. That was really scary.”
How John O’Malley was injured wasn’t initially known. According to a GoFundMe page, an SOS beacon signaled police, who found him an hour later. O’Malley was then airlifted to El Paso, suffering from “a traumatic brain injury.” Doctors have indicated he faces a long recovery.
O’Malley took on the challenge of one of the world’s toughest rides to honor his late brother, with proceeds going toward the Ryan O’Malley Scholarship a computer science scholarship at the University of Scranton for students in need who enjoy running. The GoFundMe page has been started by the O’Malley family to help finance his medical needs. There has been an outpouring of support from community members and fellow cyclists.
“It’s really heartwarming,” Katie O’Malley told KOB. “It’s great to hear that people are being so supportive of someone who they may have briefly met or someone they might not know but is touched by his story and we feel really grateful and really fortunate and for the community, it’s really awesome.”
