SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The impact of a horrific cycling accident over the weekend in Arizona that killed two and injured several others is being felt in the Capital Region. A Saratoga Springs man was just feet away from the crash.

“It’s hard to imagine that my friend is gone.”

Terry Briscoe emotionally recounted the events of this past weekend. He and dozens of others with West Valley Cycle were out enjoying the group’s Saturday ride in Goodyear, Arizona, just outside of Phoenix.

“For some reason, I don’t know why, I felt like I could go faster, and I usually ride with five people,” he recalled.

One of those five was Karen Malisa. Feeling good, Briscoe told her he was going to try to catch up with the A-group just ahead of them.

“And she laughed and said, ‘Good luck,’ and I surged ahead,” he said. “And 20 seconds later, I heard the screeching of rubber, and it was over. And she was gone.”

A pickup truck traveling along the road crashed into the group. Two people, including Malisa, were killed.

“She was a great person, told it like it was,” Briscoe said. “Loved by the community down there because she was a teacher for a long time and retired.”

Briscoe said they became friends through cycling and connected over her Upstate New York roots. As he mourns her loss, he has also thought about how he would have typically been with the group when the crash happened.

“My nephew passed away a couple of years ago, and I know that he intervened and just gave me fast legs that day, I guess, because normally I wouldn’t leave them,” he said.

In light of the tragedy, Briscoe hopes to bring more awareness to safety on roadways in the Capital Region and elsewhere. He reminds drivers to be mindful of cyclists and to take their time.

“Thirty seconds of your impatience isn’t worth the life of someone else.”

The Goodyear Police Department believes the crash was an accident after the alleged driver told them his steering locked. The case has been sent back to police for further investigation before any decision on charges is made.