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Pritchard died in an accident after being separated from his sister while riding along a trail.
Pritchard died in an accident after being separated from his sister while riding along a trail. Photograph: Graham Turner/The Guardian
Pritchard died in an accident after being separated from his sister while riding along a trail. Photograph: Graham Turner/The Guardian

British man dies in cycling accident in Iowa

This article is more than 7 years old

Torquay resident Adam Pritchard, 35, lost control on his bike and fell into a creek on the Clive Greenbelt Trail

A British cyclist has been killed in an accident in the US state of Iowa.

Adam Pritchard, 35, from Torquay, Devon was identified after his 12-year-old sister, who had been riding along the trail with him, approached officers attending the scene.

Police in the city of Clive said the child explained she was looking for her brother after she had been separated from him as he rode out ahead of her.

Pritchard had been visiting family in the Des Moines area when he died.

A statement from the police department said: “All indications point to this incident being a single bicycle accident with no other persons involved.

“It appears that Mr Pritchard lost control of his bicycle as he was westbound on the Clive Greenbelt Trail and approached a wooden bridge about 1,280 feet due west of 100th Street.

“He veered south-west off the trail where he dropped about 8ft on to the rocks and into the creek.”

The cause of death remains under investigation by the medical examiner’s office, but police say there is no reason to suspect foul play.

Police were called to the scene at around 2.15pm local time on Thursday and found a man in cycling clothes and helmet face down in the creek.

About 20 minutes later they were approached by Pritchard’s sister who gave a description that matched the deceased.

Other family members who had arrived at the scene also identified the body.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “We stand ready to provide support to the family at this difficult time.”

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