WASHINGTON — Loved ones of a U.S. diplomat killed while riding her bike in Bethesda are turning their grief into action.
Dan Langenkamp and his father-in-law Dirk Debbink are spending two days trying to get lawmakers on Capitol Hill to support the proposed Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act (H.R.1668).
Sarah Langenkamp died last August after the driver of a flatbed truck hit her while she was riding in the bike lane on River Road near Brookside Drive. Police said the driver was turning into a parking lot of his company.
The State Department employee of 17 years had just returned to the country with her family after escaping war in Ukraine.
“There might be a day or two that goes by without tears, but not without thoughts,” Debbink said. “We don’t ever have to stop loving Sarah. She’ll never stop loving us and she’s with us every day.”
Dan Lagenkamp has been pushing for more safety changes and infrastructure improvements ever since his wife's death. As the family begins the legal process to sue the driver and Beacon Building Products, they are partnering with representatives to provide better access to federal funds for local transportation safety projects.
The Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act was first introduced in the House in March by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon. The proposed legislation currently has bipartisan support from 28 co-sponsors including Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wisconsin).
“It gives communities all over the country the ability to use more federal dollars for active transportation infrastructure,” Dan Langenkamp said. “That means bike paths, sidewalks, and things that will keep pedestrians and cyclists safe on the roads. It doesn’t use any new federal money which is a great thing. It’s simply a fix to legislation.”
The money would be pulled from the Department of Transportation’s highway safety improvement program.
“I hope it makes a difference and save some lives so that other families don’t have to go through what we’re going through,” Dan Langenkamp said.
The family walked the halls of Hart Senate Office Building Wednesday to and from appointments with U.S. senators before the bill is introduced in the Senate.
If passed, the legislation would drop the requirement to match 20% from the local community to access federal funds.