49-year-old identified as bicyclist killed by a car in Richland
A 49-year-old Kennewick bicyclist has been identified as the man killed in a crash on Duportail Street early Wednesday.
Eric A. Hill was heading south on the street when he was hit from behind by a driver heading in the same direction about 5:35 a.m., according to police and dispatch reports.
Hill normally rode on that stretch of road before work, Chief Deputy Coroner Dennis Morris told the Tri-City Herald. While the hill is part of the cycling route for the Ironman 70.3 race on Sunday, Hill was not an Ironman competitor.
The collision happened near City View Drive, at the top of the hill coming up the Duportail Bridge, near Queensgate Drive. The collision was just north of Richland Fire Station 74.
The driver called 911 to report the crash, dispatchers said.
Richland police have not released the driver’s name or more information about the collision.
Hill, a microbiologist and chemical engineer, worked for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for 26 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He ran what he described as an “intensive care unit” for microbes called the Microbial Cell Dynamics Laboratory. The lab was designed to help clean ecosystems affected by radioactive waste.
He was married and had nine children, his profile said.
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 10:35 AM.