Cyclist killed on Route 303 in Boston Heights

Nick O’Donnell, a resident of Stow, was killed on Sept. 16 at 7:45 a.m. while riding his bicycle on Route 303. According to Boston Heights Police Chief Raymond Heatwall, O’Donnell was heading east near Happy Days Lodge in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

According to Heatwall, the driver who hit him was 58 year-old Gregory Kostelnick of Hudson. Kostelnick told officers that he was blinded by the morning sun and that his windows were foggy and he was turning on his defroster.

Heatwall said Kostelnick was charged with vehicular homicide because if a driver cannot see because of rain or any other reason, the law requires that the driver not continue driving.

The police report said the estimated speed of the truck was 50 mph, which is the speed limit of the road in that area.

Heatwall said that O’Donnell was riding in the right lane, about 16 inches from the white fog line. He added that cyclists have the right to be in the lane and are not required to ride right of the white line. He said that cyclists often move left to avoid potholes or debris in the berm.