The family of Michelle Walters, a participant killed in a collision with a pickup truck during the Ironman Boulder triathlon, is raising questions about the organizers’ safety plan, and the Colorado State Patrol’s response to the death.

Family members believe that U.S. 36, where traffic is fast-moving and heavy, is unsafe for bicyclists, said Adam Dixon, who is in touch with the family and is the brother of the man who is father to Walters’ 4-year-old son.

The family also believes that language Patrol spokesman Trooper Nate Reid used to describe what happened suggests that Walters’ actions precipitated the accident, though an investigation into the crash won’t be complete for weeks.

“It is unfortunate that the choice of language used by Trooper Nate Reid seems to exonerate the driver, even though the investigation will still take several more weeks,” Dixon said in an e-mail.

“Rather than maintaining a high level of objectivity, Reid is shaping the discourse to suggest that the accident was Michelle’s fault. This looks like an effort to deflect any blame and responsibility on the part of the CSP and race organizers.”

After the collision, Reid told reporters that Walters, 34, veered from a dedicated bike lane, sideswiped a Toyota Tacoma driven by 55-year-old Boulder resident Timothy Lacey and fell from her bike before she was struck by a rear section of the pickup.

“All I’m trying to do is relay the facts of the matter. She traveled outside the designated lane,” Reid said Tuesday. “It is unfortunate that it happened, and I hope it never happens again, but to say that the Patrol has any liability is unfair.”

Asked if the family plans to file a lawsuit over the death, Dixon said: “The family is waiting for the results of the investigation before making any decisions.”

U.S. 36 north of Boulder had not been closed to vehicle traffic during Sunday’s race. The stretch of two-lane road where the collision occurred had a shoulder blocked off with cones separating bicyclists from traffic.

Organizers of such events decide how safety barriers and road closures are configured in conjunction with the State Patrol, Reid said. “Ultimately, we approve their plan. The expertise lies with the organizer. They do these types of things all over the country. Obviously, we have to balance the community’s needs and the safety of the participants at the same time.”

Closing down the heavily traveled road, even on a Sunday, for the 112-mile (180.25 km) cycling portion of the event, would cripple Boulder, Reid said.

Between 2003 and 2011, there were 43 race-related deaths at various events across all distances, from sprint to Ironman, sanctioned by USA Triathlon, the sport’s national governing body.

Five of those 43 deaths were caused by traumatic injuries sustained in cycling crashes. Beyond that, 30 deaths occurred during the swim portion of the race, three during the bike leg, three during the run and two after an athlete had finished the race.

“Just look at this,” Walters’ father John told Denver7 on Monday at the scene of the crash, pointing to traffic on U.S. 36. “Look how fast they are going. Does that look safe to you? The troopers told us she was 12 inches outside the cone zone.”

Through their pastor, Walters’ family members declined to comment to The Denver Post on Tuesday.

In the city of Boulder, race organizers are required to have insurance to cover $2 million for each occurrence, with a total aggregate policy limit of $5 million, said city spokesman Patrick von Keyserling.

But the crash happened north of the city in unincorporated Boulder. Officials from the county didn’t return calls.

USA Triathlon does provide comprehensive liability insurance coverage for events it sanctions in the U.S., including Ironman, and other race organizers, said Lindsay Wyskowski, USA Triathlon spokeswoman.

Dave Christen, of Ironman Boulder, said he couldn’t comment on insurance or other matters concerning the race.

A professional bicycle coach who drove along U.S. 36, where cones separated traffic from a lane set up to protect bicyclists, hours before the race began, called the road sketchy. The coach asked that his name not be used because he feared its appearance would impact his business.

“That road is sketchy, and you couldn’t drive your car in a straight line. You had to pay attention and weave around the cones,” the coach said.

“There are cones, and there is metal fencing, and metal fencing could have been used,” said the coach, who has often ridden along that same stretch of road.

Metal fencing would have prevented a rider from going into vehicle traffic, he said.

The Boulder Camera contributed to this report.

Updated Aug. 10, 2016 at 2:15 p.m. The following corrected information has been added to this article: Attribution about concerns about competing on U.S. 36 has been corrected to reflect the information came from a Boulder cycling coach.

Updated Aug. 11, 2016 at 7:31 a.m. The following corrected information has been added to this article: Because of incorrect information from a source, the 43-race-related deaths have updated to reflect that those occurred at events across all distances, not just at the Ironman distance.