School teacher who was cycling across America found dead by the side of the road after being hit by a 'drunk driver'



Joanna Abernethy was on the trip of a lifetime riding across America alone

The 53-year-old Canberra high school teacher wasn't a cyclist

She was found dead on the side of a highway in the US after being hit by a vehicle

Her 7,200km journey started on May 7 in Oregan to honour her hero Martin Luther King Jr

The mother of two estimated the trip would take three months

She was due to arrive at her destination - Washington DC - on Thursday, August 14



Joanna Abernethy was found dead at 3.38am local time on Saturday on the side of a highway in eastern Indiana after being struck by a vehicle

An Australian mother has been killed whilst on a cycling quest to complete a trip of a lifetime across America.



Canberra high school teacher Joanna Abernethy was found dead on the side of a highway at 3.38am local time on Saturday.



She was hit by a car in eastern Indiana, 500 miles away from her final destination Washington DC, just five days before she planned to complete her trek.



Abernethy began her planned 7,200km journey on May 7 from Astoria, Oregon, to arrive at Washington DC on Thursday, August 14 to honour her hero Martin Luther King Jr.

She estimated the trip would take three months.



Along the way she made friends with residents offering a warm bed for the night, a shower, food and cash to help with her journey.

Among them was Missouri resident and avid cyclist Frank Briscoe.

'She was such a good person who was full of determination and it was refreshing to see that,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'We became instant friends and even though we had only known each other for 24 hours I knew we would be friends forever.'

Briscoe said he was devastated to hear the news when he was contacted by her half-brother Jake.

He informed Briscoe that it is likely that his sister was hit by a drunk driver.

Briscoe, a member of the Warm Showers Organisation which offers cyclists on tours a warm and safe place to stay, first met Abernethy on July 31.

'She inspired me and I'm so proud of her tribute ride,' he said.



Briscoe was so taken with Abernethy and her inspirational story he penned an article for his local paper, the Nevada Daily Mail, on August 2, but just days later he discovered his new friend was dead.



'I was devastated,' he said.



'I just sat and cried.'

The 53-year-old mother was on the trip of a lifetime riding across America alone Joanna was due to arrive at her destination - Washington DC - on Thursday, August 14

Abernethy's big adventure was born a year ago when out of the blue, she decided she wanted to cycle alone across America.



She wasn't an experienced cyclist which prompted Briscoe to advise his new friend against cycling late at night.

'But she was on a mission and she had a lot of miles to catch up on,' he said.



When Abernethy started training she borrowed her teenage daughter Orly's Malvern Star bike and clocked up kilometres around Canberra.



She eventually upgraded to the more suitable Vivente touring bike and bought a ticket to the US.

Abernethy started a blog to detail her long journey and in it she explained the impact King, who was assassinated in Memphis in 1968, had on her.



'Like many people, Martin Luther King's life touched me deeply, because of his willingness to face into the frightening maelstrom of the times he lived in, that was necessary to bring about change,' she wrote.



'He did it with such courage, dignity, love and hope, so that all of us could have a better world.



'That is so deeply moving, and rare and was a much needed step in the evolution of consciousness, a gift for humanity, and of course a very big price to pay and sacrifice.



'I felt this well worth paying tribute to, so my hope is to share this with people by doing this ride.'

Abernethy reflected on her decision in her final blog post on April 27 - a week before she embarked on her trip to the US.



'I suppose most people would like to think that they made a difference, that it meant something to be here, and we weren't just taking up space in the grand scheme of things,' she wrote.

Frank Briscoe said he became instant friends with Joanna when they first met on July 31

The Wayne County Sheriff's Department, near the Indiana and Ohio border, has launched an investigation into Abernethy's death.



Her body was found on the eastbound side of the four lane US40 highway.



A 24-year-old driver of a vehicle, Clifford Henry, may face charges.



Wayne County Sheriff Jeff Cappa said the investigation could take 'several weeks' and then the evidence would be forwarded to prosecutors who will review and determine if criminal charges should be laid.



Abernethy's family is attempting to come to terms with the loss of the free-spirited teacher.



Orly, 19, is being cared for by family and friends in Canberra.



'We were surprised at first,' said Abernethy's brother, Jake, recalling the family reaction to her announcement she was going to cycle across the US.



'But Joanna was interested in spiritual things and this fit with that.'