About Bernie Cooper
Greg Cooper with his dad, Bernie
Two weekends ago I had the privilege of speaking to Greg Cooper on the phone. Greg is from California and has lived in the Washington, D.C. area since 2001. A few weeks ago, Eyes Up Ride received a donation from Greg along with a note saying his dad was killed by a distracted driver and that Greg was a DKE at UCLA.
I reached out to Greg for a conversation to learn more about his dad’s story. I have spoken to many folks throughout the Eyes Up Ride who have said they know someone who was either hit or killed by a distracted driver while cycling. These brief interactions brought to my attention just how many of these crashes and tragedies happen and how many people are affected by them. It seems that in many cases, these crashes are just blips in the news and don’t receive nearly as much attention and gravity as they deserve.
There are so many things grabbing our attention that it’s hard to focus on even the most jarring news stories for more than a few moments. It’s ironic that much of the news about deaths and injuries caused by distracted drivers are just another flash on our screens and in our minds.
As surprised as I was to see a contribution from a UCLA graduate, I was pleased to hear early in my conversation with Greg that he read about my ride in a feature in the DKE Quarterly. For most of our conversation, Greg shared stories about his dad and the impact he made during his abbreviated life.
Greg is the youngest child in his family with four siblings. He grew up in the suburbs of LA. Since he was young, his dad, Bernard (Bernie) Cooper encouraged Greg to get out and ride his bike in the area. Greg said he wasn’t particularly athletic while growing up, but his dad was an avid cyclist and would use weekend time to take Greg out riding. Sometimes pancakes were used as a carrot to make an easier sell.
When Greg was just 9 years old, Bernie orchestrated a two-night trip to San Diego from Los Angeles for the two of them. He did this by disguising the trek as an overnight trip to Greg's cousin’s summer beach house in Newport Beach for which he would need an overnight bag. It was a classic foot-in-the-door approach. Once they made it to Greg’s cousin’s house, they were a good portion of the way to San Diego already and it was easy enough to get Greg on board with another day’s ride to complete the journey. Greg was game, and so they did it.
Bernie was an electrical engineer, painted for fun, and loved sports. Greg described his dad as a dynamic, outgoing, and energetic person. Greg’s dad was really involved in his life and he couldn’t have asked for a better father growing up. Once Bernie retired from his job as an electrical engineer, he focused his energy on volunteering in his local community, exercising, and loving life.
One thing that Greg carries with him from his father is his work ethic. Bernie always worked hard at whatever he did but viewed life with a humorous perspective. Greg said he also gets his dry sense of humor from his dad.
On February 21, 2013, Bernie was out on a training ride on his recumbent bike two miles from his home just north of LA. He was prepping for another tour. This time, from San Francisco to Los Angeles, something Bernie had done quite a few times since retiring. Greg was on the metro in Arlington, Virginia when he got the call from his brother. Bernie had been hit by a distracted 21 year-old driver, on an open road with low traffic, with enough force to throw him into a tree alongside the road and was killed. It was never confirmed what distracted the driver.
Greg flew out to California the following morning to see family and deal with the sudden loss of his father. He remembers the months following the crash as “a strange dynamic to get used to.” Greg has always been aware and respectful of cyclists on the road and is even more so now. Since losing his dad, Greg has thought of many ways we could be reminding drivers of other road users. For example, there could be more yellow “Share the Road” signs, congested area warning signs, better bike lanes, and education campaigns for both young and established drivers.
A Ghost Bike was chained to the tree where Bernie was killed. These all-white bikes are placed at sites along roadways where cyclists are hit or killed. Learn more about these important, grounding reminders of these avoidable tragedies at GhostBikes.org. Greg and his family visit Bernie’s Ghost Bike to decorate and tidy up the area on the anniversary of his death.
Every year, there are nearly 1 million crashes caused by distracted driving and 9 people are killed every day by distracted drivers (NHTSA). A huge thank you to Greg for sharing his father’s story and for having a great attitude. It was encouraging to talk to Greg and to hear his perspective on this horrible event in his family. Keep your Eyes Up and help bring these statistics down.
Read the full story on Bernie Cooper here.
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