Candlelight vigil in Lincoln honors 19-year-old motorcyclist who died a year ago

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A year ago Thursday, 19-year-old Simon Blair was killed at 27th Street and Tierra Drive while driving his motorcycle.

About 100 people attended a vigil held at the site of the crash on Thursday.

It was held not only in Blair’s honor, but for all those killed in motorcycle crashes.

Blair’s mother, Marcia Selinger, called on drivers to pay attention at all times — and had some brutal honesty for motorcyclists.

“If Simon hadn’t been wearing a helmet that night, David, Shelby, and I would not have been able to sit in that hospital room with him for three hours and kiss his forehead, and touch his hair, and see my boy’s face,” she said. “So if you don’t wear a helmet because you don’t want to, please think about those that you love.”

Before Blair’s death, four of his friends were killed in motorcycle crashes within a year. And just two days ago, 19-year-old William Schnakenberg died in a crash in Lincoln.

Selinger wanted to try to put into words her grief for the parents who are now also going through this hard time.

“I can tell them that this grief journey of losing a child is the worst journey you’ll ever go through. And I’m only a year into it. And I know it’s not going to get easier anytime soon. But I’m trying to do things for Simon, like raise awareness. The grief, eventually I don’t, I don’t know how to explain that. I know that there are other parents going through it and that there are support groups out there and that there are parents who live through it because there will be times where you feel like you can’t even live through it. But you will. Then your smile again someday.”

The Nebraska chapter of American Bikers Aimed Toward Education was also at the vigil to spread awareness about the importance of safe driving with more and more motorcyclists hitting the roads with the warming temperatures.