Victims of the tragic bike tour accident in Matamoros are recuperating. A local club is setting up a bike benefit ride to help the victims pay for their medical costs. Brownsville’s River Rockets Adventure Club wants to help the people involved in that tragic bicycle tour accident in México that occurred about three weeks ago. The club's vice president was there on June 1st. He said he saw it all and knew he had to help these people get back on their feet.

It was supposed to be a fun day to ride along Matamoros for bicyclists in the Third Annual Bike Tour "Matamoros-Playa Bagdad." But that fun day came to a halt soon after the tour started. A drunk driver slammed into more than a dozen bicyclists, killing one and injuring several others.

Bicycle World of Brownsville and club's Vice-President, Terry Hall, participated in this tour. He rode along with his wife and son. It was their first time riding in this event.

“Everything was going nice and smooth until that accident there.”

Hall relives the tragic day with us. He says he and his family were about a mile back of the accident. They were told there was an accident and to go back.

“We assumed it was bicycles that ran into each other maybe had a crash amongst themselves and as we got close we saw that's not what happened.”

But that's not what he saw. As he walked toward the accident, he said the scene was horrific, people lying everywhere and bikes just in pieces. As he got closer to the injured, he noticed the familiar faces.

“A lot of them were customers and fellow cyclists. It was hard to recognize them because they were pretty messed up. But we did know quite a few of them.”

The club is planning a benefit ride to help the victims of the accident. The event is a 10-mile tour in Brownsville. It is still on the planning stages but the club is looking to hold the tour sometime next month.

“It’s something that hits you being there and seeing what happened and knowing the people, they're all friends. We just felt it was something we needed to do and want to remember everybody.”

It is a free event for everyone, but the club will be asking for donations. Those proceeds will go to the bike victims.