MADISON COUNTY, N.C. — Pedestrian and bicyclist fatality risks continue to rise in the U.S., making up approximately 20% of all traffic deaths each year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. More than 1,000 pedestrians died in North Carolina between 2015 and 2019, according to the state’s Department of Transportation.
This number rose in July, when Asheville residents Leonard “Lennie” Antonelli and Jacob Hill were killed on a popular cycling route in western North Carolina.
Now, about once a week, Maddie Barondeau honors her late-fiancé, Antonelli, with fresh red and white flowers…