A family is suffering from renewed grief after Matt Keenan’s ghost bike memorial was destroyed last week. Laura Keenan created the ghost bike memorial on the spot where her husband was killed by a wrong-way driver in 2021. She posted on X (formerly Twitter) that she and her toddler visit the memorial on tough days to remember her late husband.

Last Friday night, Jan. 5, the memorial was vandalized and burnt down.

Now, she is fundraising on GoFundMe to replace the memorial, which included a bike painted white and a sign honoring Keenan’s latest birthday. She plans to make something more durable with the funds.

“This is our tribute to Matt and all cyclists killed. It’s our public reminder that traffic deaths are preventable and our loved ones didn’t need to die a needless death,” wrote Keenan, who has advocated for safer roads since her husband’s death.

Her husband was an experienced cyclist who wore the brightest lights and knew the safest routes in San Diego — but that still did not prevent his death, según NPR.

Ghost bike memorials have been around for at least 15 years as a way to memorialize cyclists killed and advocate for safer streets.

Saddened that @keenan_bike & her family have been retraumatized after Matt’s ghost bike memorial was burned down.

It’s is a reminder that traffic deaths are preventable and the importance of street designs. We look forward to seeing a new memorial soon.https://t.co/9AjTTSUe9D

— Families for Safe Streets San Diego (@SDSafeStreets) 11 de enero de 2024

“It is a reminder that traffic deaths are preventable and the importance of street designs,” posted Families for Safe Streets San Diego.