A teen died Thursday evening after sustaining serious injuries sustained in a collision between her electric bike and a minivan earlier in the day, the Burlington Police Department announced on Friday afternoon.
Shiloh Skalka, 16, was riding an e-bike southbound on Pine Street shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday when she was struck near the intersection of Locust Street by a 2018 Dodge Caravan that was also traveling southbound. The vehicle was driven by 79-year-old Douglas Knapp, a well-known local artist. Skalka, who was wearing a bike helmet, was transported to the University of Vermont Medical Center before later succumbing to her injuries.
Skalka was a rising junior at Burlington High School, according to a message sent to Burlington families late Friday afternoon from superintendent Tom Flanagan.
“Our hearts are with Shiloh’s family, especially her twin brother, Kaz, as well as her friends, classmates, teachers, and everyone whose life she touched,” Flanagan wrote.
He called Skalka “a valued member of the Burlington High School community” who “was also well known throughout our district, having attended Edmunds Elementary and Edmunds Middle School. “
Skalka’s family has asked for privacy as they grieve, Flanagan wrote. He said that the Edmunds Elementary School gym would be open on Wednesday, July 22 from 9 a.m. to noon to give community members a chance to gather — with counselors, administrators and staff on hand to offer support.
Knapp, the driver, is better known as Dug Nap, a Vermont folk artist who sells his work on Pine Street and at local shops. Reached by phone on Friday evening, Knapp said he wasn’t ready to talk about what happened.
“I’m still kind of gathering my thoughts,” he said. “I’m upset. I have to let things go how they’re going to go.”
Jack Mandeville Evans, a program specialist for cycling advocacy group Local Motion, said he visited the scene on Friday and saw flowers on a nearby bench. Mandeville Evans said that members of the cycling community are already talking about how to honor Skalka.
“I know that these types of crashes are felt very viscerally by people who bike, because it shows how easily a life can be taken away when we share the road with cars,” he said.
The crash is currently under investigation. The police department asks that witnesses contact Detective Padric Hartnett at (802) 540-2351.
Colin Flanders contributed reporting.
