Family of Dublin Woman Killed in Bicycle Collision Say Damaged Memorial Adds to Pain

By Autumn Johnson

If she was alive, Diana Hersevoort would have turned 59 on Sunday. Her family says they celebrated her life, despite her empty chair, by gathering the family members and close friends together for dinner and cake.

Hersevoort's daughter, Heather Grimm, says the family wrote down the things they would have said to Hersevoort had she been alive and tied them to balloons, which they released into the night sky.

Grimm visited her mother's roadside memorial on Foothill Road on Sunday to deliver flowers. According to Grimm, the memorial has been damaged at least three or four times since it was created after the collision on June 9, that killed her mother.

Grimm says that a neighbor who lives near the memorial told her it is possible the flower pot has been smashed and the memorial torn apart repeatedly by deer coming down from the foothills. 

[Related article: Lawyer Asks Judge for More Time Before Cody Hall Enters Plea]

On June 9, Hersevoort and her husband, Joe Hersevoort, were hit as they rode their bicycles on Foothill Road near Golden Eagle Way for their weekly Sunday ride. Joe Hersevoort suffered a broken leg from the collision and Hersevoort died at the scene as a result of her injuries. The Hersevoorts had been married 35 years. Hersevoort has been remembered as a "bright and loving person" who loved animals, flowers and tie dye.

Joe Hersevoort told Patch in a previous article, "Her name was Diana. She was the love of my life." 

Cody Hall, 18, the driver involved in the collision, has since been charged with murder in connection to Hersevoort's death. 

Hall, a Foothill High School graduate, has been held at the Santa Rita Jail on a "no bail status" since he was taken into custody on Aug. 14 while in appearing in court after prosecutors raised the vehicular manslaughter charge against Hall to murder.

Hall was ordered by Judge Hugh Walker not to drive during the course of the case during his first court appearance on July 29.

[Related story: Judge Orders Defendant in Fatal Bike Crash Not to Drive]

The Hall case has drawn national attention because his social media posts, along with his driving record, will likely be the foundation for the murder case against him.

[Related article: Apparent 'CodyyHall' Instagram Posts Flaunt Beating Speeding Ticket and Hating Police]

According to documents submitted by police to the court, Hall is believed to have been passing a vehicle on Foothill Road at about 83 miles per hour, when he lost control of his car, striking bicyclists Diana and Joe Hersevoort on June 9. Diana Hersevoort, 58, was killed in the collision.

Hall's father, Aaron Hall, a two-time convicted felon, facing his own felony charges, was recently in court for a pretrial hearing and will be back in court in November for another pretrial hearing, according to court records. 

In July, the Hersevoort family hired lawyer Peter Rausch to represent them in a impending civil claim against driver Cody Hall.

Previous Patch articles about the fatal Foothill Road collision:

• Judge on Cody Hall Case: 'So, So Sad for Everyone Involved'
• 18-Year-Old Involved in Fatal Bike Collision to be Arraigned
• Driver Charged with Second Degree Murder in Fatal Bike Collision In Court Monday
• Driver in Fatal Bike Collision Charged with HomicideCase Continued for Father of Suspect Charged With Murder in…
• Father of Fatal Bike Collision Suspect to be Arraigned Thursday
• Father of Suspect Involved in Fatal Bicycle Collision Arrested on $640,000 Felony Warrant
• UPDATE: Bicyclist Killed On Foothill Identified As Dublin Resident
• Driver in Fatal Collision Used Social Media to Talk About Speeding
• Headline News Takes on Cody Hall Case
• Family of Dublin Woman Killed By Teen Driver Hires Lawyer
• Investigation into Fatal Collision Continues
• Residents Question Road Safety After Deadly Collision
• Celebration of Life for Dublin Woman Struck While Riding Bike in Pleasanton
• Dublin Woman Killed While Riding Bicycle in Pleasanton Remembered