Motorist charged after collision with bicycle that killed Durham city budget director

A motorist has been charged in a collision that killed Durham City Budget Director John Allore as he was riding his bike Thursday morning in rural Orange County.

Allore, who was also well known as a writer, podcaster and local actor, was 59 years old and had three daughters.

The accident happened around 7 a.m. on Bradshaw Quarry Road near Orange Grove Road, in southwestern Orange County.

Karen Denisse Maldonado, 26, of Efland was traveling west on Bradshaw Quarry Road in a 2020 Toyota passenger car when she struck Allore from behind, the N.C. Department of Public Safety said in a news release Friday morning.

Maldonado was arrested by the State Highway Patrol and charged with failure to reduce speed and misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.

Maldonado remained at the scene and called 911 for help, state trooper Brian Martin told The News & Observer.

Allore began working for Durham in 1999, City Manager Wanda Page said in a statement. He held several positions, proving himself “the ultimate professional,” before being named Budget Management Services director in January 2022.

“We are saddened to share that our Budget Director, John Allore, was tragically killed in a biking accident yesterday in Orange Co.” the city tweeted Friday morning.

Durham colleagues mourn Allore

Durham City Council members Leonardo Williams and Jillian Johnson also tweeted about Allore’s death.

At 2:15 p.m. Thursday, Williams tweeted “Pray For Durham,” prompting several concerned people to ask what had happened.

“Durham, my apologies for the sudden tweet earlier,” Williams explained in a second tweet Thursday night. “I’d learned something tragic but could not share yet. However, I meant it. for our city and especially our staff. Today, we lost a superstar, Budget Dir. John Allore. On top of all else, these are turbulent times. to all.”

On Friday, Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils also tweeted:

“I’m saddened to learn of the death of John Allore yesterday,” he said. “John lived in Carrboro for the past 25 years. We connected years ago over our bike-bus commutes to Durham, where John was budget director for the city. Much love to John’s daughters and all his family and friends.”

Collision happened on rural road

The intersection near where the collision occurred is in an area of two-lane rural roads, Google Maps shows.

There were 21 cyclists killed in North Carolina in 2022, according to the Division of Motor Vehicles.

There was a total of 1,784 total traffic-related deaths to that point, including the 21 cyclists and 272 pedestrians.

“I just feel sick about what happened,” John Tallmadge, executive director of Bike Durham, said Friday. “We don’t have a to have accept a transportation system where deaths and serious injuries happen on a regular basis.”

Tallmadge knew Allore through Bike Durham and from when Tallmadge worked at GoTriangle. Allore had also done advocacy work for bicyclist and pedestrian safety with Tallmadge.

The state has not spent enough money on making roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians, which has contributed to needless deaths and injuries, Tallmadge said.

Bike Durham organizes the Ride of Silence, a public demonstration to remember people killed while riding bikes or walking. The next one will be held May 17 in Durham.

“We will have a sad day on the 17th,” Tallmadge said.

A writer, advocate and actor

Allore was widely known for his advocacy work and years-long efforts to learn more about his sister Theresa’s murder in 1978 in Quebec.

According to his website, theresaallore.com, Allore moved to Chapel Hill in 2001 .

Although he lived in the United States, he wrote about spending much of his time in Canada.

He co-wrote the book “Wish You Were Here: A Murdered Girl, a Brother’s Quest and the Hunt for a Canadian Serial Killer,” which was published in May 2022.

His substack blog, “Undiluted Hocus-Pocus,” published a scheduled post Friday posthumously.

In addition to his writing, Allore acted with PlayMakers Repertory Company a professional theater company on the UNC campus.

“He was with us as a performer over the past several years and he will be sorely missed,” the company tweeted.

Allore’s investigations into the cold case of his sister’s death and other criminal justice issues are part of a podcast called “Who Killed Theresa?” which he started in 2017.

He was awarded the Senate of Canada’s Sesquicentennial medal for his work in victims advocacy, according to his blog.

The Montreal Gazzette reported that Allore died just before the true-crime show “Crime Beat” was scheduled to air an episode Friday night on the Canadian Global Television channel about his investigative work.

Richard Stradling contributed to this report.