Background: Cody Churchwell during a court hearing (KPTV). Inset: Quinn Broyles, 13, who was allegedly hit and killed by Churchwell while she was riding an e-bike in Canby, Oregon (Canby police).
An Oregon plumber is accused of running over a teenage girl on an e-bike with his van and fleeing the scene, claiming he felt a bump and did not think he hit anything.
Cody Churchwell, 31, is charged with second-degree manslaughter, failure to perform the duties of the driver, reckless driving and reckless endangering in the death of 13-year-old Quinn Broyles.
The Canby Police Department said Quinn was riding an e-bike in the bicycle lane in the 300 block of S. Ivy Street around 7:20 p.m. Thursday when she was struck by a van, whose driver then fled the scene.
Quinn was airlifted to a children's hospital where she died.
Police released surveillance video of the van and quickly identified it as belonging to a local plumbing company, local Fox affiliate KPTV reported. Police located the van several hours later at Churchwell's home in Canby, about 20 miles south of Portland.
According to KPTV, prosecutors said at a bond hearing that the van had damage, including a leaking radiator. Churchwell reportedly told cops that while driving, he "noticed a bump, but didn't think he had hit anything." He said he didn't start drinking until he arrived home.
Quinn's family released a statement through the police department. She was a captain on her basketball team and loved to dance.
"In her short time here on earth, Quinn made an extraordinary impact on several communities, and countless lives," the family said. "She wasn't just a daughter, sister, friend, a teammate, a captain, a dancer. She was an inspirational young leader, whose love determination and character left a lasting impression on the youth in our communities."
Churchwell is in the Clackamas County Jail without bond. His next court date is set for Thursday.
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