Portland couple, both Nike execs, die after lumber on passing truck strikes them during California bicycle ride

A married couple from Portland — both executives with Nike — died after being hit by lumber that slid off the bed of a passing truck as they rode bicycles in Napa Valley, according to a local report.

Christian and Michelle Deaton had been biking down the Silverado Trail on the outskirts of Napa at about 11 a.m. Tuesday when a flatbed truck tried to go around them at about 40 mph, according to The Oregonian.

At some point, lumber stacked in the bed of the 2018 Freightliner shifted so part of the wood hung over the end of the truck — and it struck the Deatons, the newspaper said.

Christian, 52, died at the scene. Michelle, 48, died at the hospital, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office.

The 55-year-old driver — a man from Vallejo who cops did not identify — stayed on-scene during the investigation,

Police have not said whether he faces any criminal charges.

Meanwhile, friends mourned the lighthearted, adventurous couple, who had been married for 21 years and loved to travel and stay physically active.

Christian and Michelle Deaton reportedly died last week when they were struck by lumber in a passing flatbed. “Life was their hobby – there was never a moment where they weren’t going to make the most of it,” Cholee Thompson, a friend who first met Michelle on a group vacation, told The Oregonian.

Michelle was strong but prone to giggling, Thompson said. And she was always up for new experiences, whether that meant going on a spontaneous hike, a bike trip or kayaking.

Christian, meanwhile, sang, danced and played air guitar whenever he and his friends sat around listening to vinyl records, she said.

Both were executives at Nike, and lived in a million-dollar penthouse in Portland.

The Deatons were struck by lumber that shifted in the truck just as it tried to pass them.

Christian died at the scene. Michelle died at the hospital, authorities said.

“They shared so much love for each other,” Elizabeth LeMay, another friend of the couple who formerly worked with Christian at Nike, told The Oregonian. “They were a couple you come across once in a lifetime.”

Christian was a vice president of product and merchandising at Nike Swim and Michelle an EQ design studio director, according to the Daily Mail.

They lived in a million-dollar penthouse apartment in Portland, the outlet said.

The pair had been in Napa as part of a two-week road trip that included a string of concerts and stops in California and Las Vegas, the Daily Mail said.

Friends mourned their loss, and said they tried to make the most out of life.

“They lived life so big that the hole that they left in all of us is just gaping,” Thompson told The Oregonian.

“The two of them weren’t perfect, and they always strove to be better,” she continued. “But they really were pretty damn close to perfect.”

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