Family seeks answers after woman killed in Phoenix motorcycle crash
Community members gathered to seek closure and celebrate the life of Rahneisha "Bri" Talbert following a fatal motorcycle wreck.
PHOENIX - Community members gathered for a balloon release Friday afternoon, honoring a Phoenix woman who died after getting hit by a motorcycle earlier this week as police continue to investigate the wreck.
What they're saying:
The words on a sign hung near the crash site read "Forever in Our Hearts," it's one way the family wants to showcase the love they feel for 32-year-old Rahneisha "Bri" Talbert as they seek answers and closure.
Another way they paid tribute to Bri on Friday was by wearing purple shirts in honor of her favorite color. Family say there is no shortage of fond memories to share of Bri.
"She was definitely a light. She’d walk into a room, and she’d just light it up," said Chanelle Robinson, Bri’s mother.
Her family has no shortage of fond memories of her.
"She was like my music buddy, especially in my family. She was very energetic, playful, smart. She’d be trying to brag, she was bilingual, she’d be speaking in different languages," Dequinn Robinson, Bri's brother, said.
Dequinn also shared his sadness that he wouldn't be able to enjoy Bri's famous cornbread at Thanksgiving this year.
Bri's sister Chantanell Robinson shared similar warm recollections.
"We definitely would shop together. We were both into hair, which she was good at that," Chantanell Robinson said.
"That was my twin. We really looked alike, we had a lot of the same hobbies," Bri's sister Dechara Robinson said.
Community members gathered to seek closure and celebrate the life of Rahneisha "Bri" Talbert following a fatal motorcycle wreck.
The backstory:
Bri was hit by a motorcycle while crossing the road mid-block near 59th Avenue and Baseline Road on the evening of Oct. 12.
Vaquanice Johnson was helping her son fix a flat tire nearby when she says a motorcycle drove past. Shortly after, she says she heard another motorcycle.
"And as it was getting ready to accelerate, you heard there was a collision," Johnson said.
Johnson has nursing experience and put that to use before first responders arrived.
"I was able to assess her and see that she took a really hard hit to her right side," Johnson said.
Johnson says she could tell the injuries were severe and did her best to comfort Bri.
"I laid her head in my lap. I assessed, and I told her, I was talking to her, I said, ‘It’s OK, I’m here, I got you, I need you to stay together,’" Johnson said.
When police arrived, Johnson says she was not asked for a statement. When she later saw posts about Bri and realized she knew her family, Johnson says she wanted to share what she had seen and heard that night.
The motorcyclist stayed on scene, according to Johnson and Phoenix police, and did not show signs of impairment. Further details are pending an ongoing investigation, according to Phoenix police.
Meanwhile, Bri’s family says they are not able to find closure yet.
"This should not have happened to her, and he should not be walking around like nothing happened. Something happened. All I know is I’m getting ready to bury my daughter," Chanelle Robinson said.
What you can do:
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help raise money to lay Bri to rest in San Diego, where she was born and raised before moving to Phoenix.
Map of the area where the crash happened
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Chanelle Robinson, Bri’s mother; Dequinn Robinson; Chantanell Robinson; Dechara Robinson; Vaquanice Johnson, a witness with nursing experience; and Phoenix police.