ANKENY, Iowa — 44-year-old Courtney Petersen died last Thursday morning after being hit by a dump truck, when she attempted to cross a busy intersection along the High Trestle Trail.

The intersection sits near the 12100 block of Northwest 44th Street, and is often regarded by bicyclists as dangerous, with cars traveling 55 miles per hour and difficult lines of sight. The victim’s family is now calling for change.

“This intersection is going to be there for a long time, right?,” said Melissa Prager, Corey’s sister who lives in Seattle, WA. “Let’s invest in it now so that everybody who passes through there does so more safely.”

Courtney, known as Corey to family and friends, was a sensational athlete. She competed in over 100 marathons in her life. She also fostered and placed 179 dogs.

“She always had to take the hard cases because those are the ones that aren’t easily adoptable. If you have a little, cute Pomeranian, he’s probably going to go in a day or two. She would take the one with the medical issues,” said Brad Petersen, Corey’s husband and a retired Major in the United States Marines. The couple met during their service, eventually tying the knot in the early 2000’s.

An accident left Corey paralyzed in 2007. But her background in the United States Marine Corps mixed with her competitive drive would not let her quit.

“She picked herself back up again,” said Prager. “She’s like, ‘we are not going to feel sorry for ourselves, we’re going to keep going’.”

The couple moved into the Ankeny home due to the close proximity to the High Trestle Trail, which allowed her to access it in her neighborhood. Brad and Corey usually ride together for as long as Brad can go. Corey would ride 25-30 miles a day, six days a week. But last Thursday, Brad stayed back to pack for a trip to Chicago as Corey was competing in a marathon. Knowing the High Trestle Trail, Brad was always concerned about those intersections.

“So even sometimes when I’m with her, I’m like okay we’re going to go now. I would grab the back of her hand cycle and give her a push so we were out of the danger zone,” said Brad. He didn’t hear back from Corey for a while and he grew concerned. He saw Corey’s location on at that intersection and there he was informed of Corey’s passing.

“If something could have been done, my wife would still be alive,” said Corey. “But something needs to happen to prevent anyone else from having to experience this.”

You can sign the petition started by the family by visiting the website page. The family wants to gather enough signatures to push for whatever safety changes are deemed necessary and doable.

Corey’s family is hosting three separate celebrations around the country. One here locally on Saturday, one in Arizona and one in Florida.