A New York high school teacher on a cross-country bicycle trip has died after authorities say he was struck by a car on an Oklahoma highway because the driver was on her phone.
The Oklahoman reports that Patrick Wanninkhof was pronounced dead at the scene on Thursday. The 25-year-old and other cyclists were traveling for Bike & Build, a nonprofit organization that raises money to build affordable housing.
Wanninkhof had been working for around three years at Fordham High School for the Arts in The Bronx through the Teach for America program. His father says Wanninkhof's time as a teacher in the New York City borough gave him insight into the importance of affordable housing.
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