Nearly two years later, Andy and Stacie Marsman are reflecting on a tragic accident.
"Back on June 13, 2019, I was bike riding with our son Ryan on the bike path along Cascade Road," Andy says.
He and his six-year-old son Ryan were trying to cross the street on that bike ride, when a truck driver made a turn and didn't see Ryan in front of him. Andy and Stacie lost their son that day.
"Since that time, we've done some reflection, thought about it and realized that it was unfair," Andy says. "Ryan was too short and the driver couldn't see him."
They've made it their goal since then to fight for other kids out there, creating their non-profit organization Riding for Ryan and giving out nearly 7,000 bike safety flags in less than two years.
The idea behind the flags is to increase awareness and visibility for young bicycle riders. The flags hook onto the bike wheel, stand six feet tall and are bright yellow for drivers to see.
"You see them from way back, you can see that yellow flapping in the breeze," Andy says. "But in a case like Ryan's, a 6 foot pole and flag sticking up from his bike would have been clearly in the drivers view. We'll never know for sure, but I'd like to think it would've changed the outcome so our goal is to change the outcome for other kids now."
They hope to keep another tragedy like that from happening again. On Wednesday night, North Oakview Elementary School in Grand Rapids teamed up with Andy and Stacie to distribute 100 flags to kids in the community.
Michelle Mellema brought her son Donald to get hooked up with a flag to give her some peace of mind this summer.
"Well everybody is out riding bikes, and to be honest, I've seen enough people who don't look at the crossings (and who) don't always stop," she says.
For Andy and Stacie, every flag counts when it comes to keeping kids safe.
"We're just grateful that we're the ones to help," Stacie says. "Granted it came with tragedy for us, but in the grander scheme of things, we're thankful that we can help protect other kids while they're riding."
The two plan to distribute flags as long as they're able to. The non-profit organization runs on donations.
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