A Milledgeville wife, mother and grandmother was hit and killed by a vehicle while she was riding her bicycle in Putnam County last week. The driver of the vehicle was arrested, according to Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills.
The fatal accident happened on Godfrey Road in north Putnam County at approximately 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, May 31, Sills said. Teresa Rose, 56, of Milledgeville, was struck by a 2006 Chevrolet van driven by Josafat Gonzalez-Villagrana, age 32, of Hull.
“Witnesses told deputies that Gonzalez-Villagrana was turning west onto Glades Road and struck Ms. Rose on her bicycle as she was traveling toward Eatonton at the intersection,” Sills said. “Ms. Rose was dead at scene when emergency personnel arrived.”
According to jail reports from Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Gonzalez-Villagrana was arrested around 8:15 p.m. May 31 on charges of failure to yield, homicide by vehicle, and turning position; signal required. He was released on $2,223 cash bond.
The victim is survived by her husband, Michael Rose, her parents, Don and Barbara Crisp, brother and sister-in-law, five children and a granddaughter, according to her obituary from Moores Funeral Home in Milledgeville.
Rose became interested in riding mountain bikes six years ago when one of her sons took up the sport competitively. She homeschooled her children, was a leader in Boy Scout Troop 124, and coached the Old Capital children’s bike race team.
According to the obituary, she became an adult competitor in various mountain bike races as well as gravel and road races across Georgia and surrounding states. She also was an award-winning watercolor artist and worked as a physical therapist.