Cousin of woman killed while riding her bike remembers Sueann Towles’ life

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A woman was killed on Labor Day in the 2900 block of S. Oliver. Sueann Towles, 56, was riding her bike when she was struck by a car. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

Towles’ cousin, Opal Smith, says Towles was a kind person. They grew up together, and their mothers are twin sisters.

“Boisterous, she was really boisterous and outgoing, and if you met her, you’d never forget that you met her,” said Smith. “She liked to dance a lot, and she loved music. I’ll always remember her as a good mother and dancing around in the living room and trying to teach me to dance, which I still don’t know how to do.”

Sueann Towles (Courtesy: Opal Smith)

Smith says Towles was very close with her mother and believes Towles was leaving her mom’s house when she was struck. The situation has been difficult for the whole family.

“This really is a real tragedy, and my mom’s with her sister right now, and they are in too much grief to talk about it. It was my aunt’s baby girl, her youngest daughter. And they really were really close, and my mom was really close with her too,” explained Smith.

Smith says that the last time she saw Towles, she expressed how much she enjoyed riding her bike in the city to stay active. Smith says Towles had a vehicle at one point, but her bicycle was currently her only means of transportation.

Police are still investigating the crash that killed Towles. The 58-year-old driver remained on the scene and cooperated with authorities.

This incident marks the 23rd fatal vehicle wreck in Wichita this year, and Towles is the 23rd person to die because of a traffic crash.

At this time last year, there were 23 crashes resulting in a total of 26 deaths. Investigators say the number of deadly wrecks has decreased when 28 crashes resulted in 30 fatalities. They are currently unsure of what caused the decline.