Paralympic gold medalist Dory Selinger killed in McKinney bicycle crash

Dory Selinger, a 54-year-old Paralympic gold medalist and father, was killed Thursday morning after being struck by a vehicle while cycling in McKinney, a loss that has intensified local concern over how safely riders can use Collin County roads.

The crash happened near Alma Drive and the State Highway 121, also known as the Sam Rayburn Tollway, service road. McKinney police said the investigation was ongoing. One report said the driver stayed at the scene, but full details about how the collision unfolded had not yet been released.

For the cycling community, Selinger was far more than a decorated athlete. He won gold at the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta and added three medals at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney. He was also recognized as a three-time world champion in para-cycling and later worked as a prosthetist, transitioning from international racing into prosthetics and orthotics work after 2002.

Loved ones and fellow riders described Selinger as a respected mentor, especially to younger cyclists. Ryan Crissey, a family friend and fellow cyclist, said Selinger was a natural athlete who relied on motivation and that he guided others in the sport. One report said Selinger rode the same route daily and often spent about an hour and a half on the bike.

The deadly crash also points back to a broader safety problem Texas has struggled to solve. The Texas Department of Transportation says pedestrian and pedalcyclist fatalities have been trending upward, and its safety materials say one in five traffic deaths in Texas involves a pedestrian or cyclist. That statistic has taken on fresh weight in McKinney, where officials have promoted the City of McKinney Safe Streets initiative to reduce and eventually eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

Selinger’s death leaves a deep hole in a community that knew him as both an elite competitor and a local mentor. It also sharpens the question of how McKinney protects the riders who share its busiest roads with cars, trucks and high-speed service-road traffic.