NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A North Las Vegas man says he is still searching for answers nearly two years after his wife died following a crash involving a vehicle while she was riding her bicycle.
David Hamm says life at home has not been the same since the death of his wife, Wilma Hamm.
“She kept a happy house,” David said.
Now, he says that light is gone.
WATCH | North Las Vegas man searching for answers after wife dies in crash
“Empty,” he said when asked what the house feels like today.
According to David, Wilma was an avid bike rider who often woke up before sunrise to ride through their neighborhood during the quiet morning hours. He says she enjoyed stopping along the way to talk with people before returning home.
“She would stop along the way and she would talk to people,” David said. “She would come home, and she would tell me about her time out there on the trail.”
But on the morning of Aug. 2, 2024, she never made it home.
David says he received a message from a police officer telling him his wife had been taken to UMC after being hit by a car near Tropical Parkway and Losee Road in North Las Vegas.
“I picked up my phone. I seen that I had a message,” he said. “And it was from a police officer, and it said your wife was at UMC.”
Wilma Hamm died two weeks later at the hospital.
“She was a very happy person,” David said. “She was quick to smile, quick to laugh. Good wife, good mother. She had three children.”
Court records show the driver accused in the crash, Jonathan Ricker, was initially charged with manslaughter. However, during a court appearance Tuesday, Ricker pleaded no contest and reached an agreement with prosecutors.
Under the deal, Ricker must complete 100 hours of community service, pay $1,140, attend traffic school and participate in a victim impact panel. If he completes those requirements, the charges will be reduced to reckless driving and a parking violation.
David says he does not believe his family received justice.
“No,” he said.
According to David, prosecutors told him they could not prove the crash directly caused his wife’s death. However, Wilma Hamm’s death certificate states she died from complications of blunt force injuries sustained in the crash.
David says one challenge in the case involved the coroner who examined his wife.
“The coroner that seen my wife was from out of state,” he said. “But because he was out of state, they can’t force him to come back and say this is why Wilma passed.”
Despite his frustrations, David says he is not looking to cause more pain for the driver or his family.
“If he has children, I don’t want to destroy lives,” David said. “Enough lives have been destroyed by this; we don’t need to destroy more, but I would like his record to reflect what happened.”
I reached out to the North Las Vegas courts regarding the case and am waiting to learn more. We will update you as soon as we learn more.
