Bartender says she was fired after helping cyclist hit by car in New Orleans

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NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — One of the last times Kendyl Reisz talked to her manager at Emporium Arcade and Bar on St. Claude Avenue was the night Dustin Strom was hit by a car and killed.

In early June, Strom was riding down St. Claude Avenue near Marigny Street when witnesses said a speeding driver threw him off his bicycle. Reisz ran out of the bar and tried to help.

“I checked his pulse and he was gone,” Reisz said.

According to Reisz, it took about 45 minutes to block off traffic and give the New Orleans Police Department a statement. She claimed someone else was working at Emporium with her that night but that 45 minutes was allegedly enough to cost her her job.

Reisz told WGNO News she was written up for running out from behind the bar to help Strom and for talking back to managers. She was fired a few days later.

“People come in there all the time and they’re like ‘Where is she? Where’s she at? What happened?’ They won’t say why but they definitely keep their distance from me and my friends,” Reisz explained.

Reisz said she would do the same thing again in a heartbeat and believes more needs to be done to protect cyclists in the Crescent City.

“A lot of people don’t respect bicyclists,” Reisz said. “I ride bikes and motorcycles. We have certain lanes and certain things that can prevent that but still cars don’t respect them. They don’t care.”

Emporium Arcade and Bar did not respond to WGNO News’ request for comment about Reisz’s termination.

Since the collision, Strom’s family said a ghost bike has been placed at the scene of the crash in Dustin’s honor.

The driver, 36-year-old Darren Mcintosh, was arrested at the scene and faces charges of negligent homicide and reckless operations of a vehicle, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

According to Barry Strom, Dustin’s father, as of July 30, they still had not received Dustin’s phone from police. Barry said the family wants the phone to see photos of their son’s last days in New Orleans.

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