A University of Georgia employee was killed earlier this week after a truck, following too closely, struck her on her bicycle.
Karen Tinsley, 45, died after she was thrown from her bike in the Tuesday afternoon wreck. She was recently promoted to senior public service associate in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences department of financial planning, housing and consumer economics, according to a statement.
“We are deeply saddened by this news,” FHCE department head Sheri Worthy said in a statement. “Karen was an invaluable member of our college and was admired across the state for her tireless efforts toward improving housing conditions in Georgia. Her impact was felt by countless communities in Georgia as well as by our students, and she was a model representative of our college’s mission of improving the lives of people in our state.”
About 7 p.m., Tinsley and the truck were traveling westbound on Astondale Road when the front of the vehicle hit the rear of the bike, The Georgia State Patrol said.
“(The truck) was following too closely and did not provide proper clearance to the bicycle,” GSP spokeswoman Tracey Watson said.
Tinsley was thrown from the road and in to the shoulder, Watson said. Tinsley was taken to Athens Regional Medical Center where she died.
Charges are pending against the driver, identified by the Athens Banner-Herald as Richard Poulnott, 55, of Watkinsville.
Tinsley came to UGA in 2002 as a research coordinator and has served many roles on the campus, including director of the UGA Housing and Demographics Research Center. She’s received numerous awards, her most recent one a Housing Impact Award given in 2017 from the Housing Education and Research Association for her contributions to the housing field through focused research, teaching and outreach initiatives.
The Augusta native grew up in Syracuse and received her bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University. She later earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in economics from UGA.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
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