THUNDER BAY - Last year, Nicholas Berardi was killed when a pick-up truck on Dog Lake Road struck his motorcycle. The driver of the pickup truck was impaired. Nicholas’s sister, Tavia Berardi Tronsen, along with hundreds of motorcyclists, are once again taking to the streets to keep driving home the message about the dangers of impaired driving.
“I really wanted to consider what my brother would have wanted me to do with his story in order to not see another family go through what my family has gone through,” Berardi Tronsen said. “So it means the world to my family.”
On Sunday, more than 250 motorcyclists gathered at Thunder Bay Harley Davidson for the second Annual MADD Memorial Ride in honour of Nicholas Berardi.
The ride was held last year shortly after Nicholas’s death, and even though it was quickly organized, more than 300 riders came out who helped raise more than $3,000.
“Last year we noticed that there was so much that came in for donations, that we all gave to MADD Canada, that we wanted to organize it and make it an annual event,” Berardi Tronsen said.
Cale Proteau, president of the Thunder Bay Moto Riders, helped organize the ride last year and this year as well.
“I thought last year it would be in our best interest to do a memorial ride and give all the donations to MADD just to show our support in the community and show the family that we are there for them,” he said.
Nicholas was a member of the Thunder Bay Moto Riders and Proteau said seeing any motorcyclist get injured or killed is something that leaves a lasting impact on all riders.
“For most motorcyclists, it really hits home when a motorcyclists passes away from any cause, especially from someone who was impaired,” he said. “Motorcyclists love to show their support and it is kind of like a family, even if you don’t know the person. So everybody comes out to support each other.”
Organizers expect to raise even more money this year, which will be donated to MADD Canada. But for Berardi Tronsen, the event is about more than raising money, it’s about raising awareness, and she is happy to see so many people come out to support this cause for the second year in a row.
“They are so huge and important,” she said. “Not only in honour of someone who has been taken from us at a young age, it’s everybody else that is a survivor of impaired driving. This is all the more reason to drive sober and be part of that positive awareness in our community.”
The ride travelled from the Harley Davidson Thunder Bay to the Eddy in Kakabeka Falls.
Berardi Tronsen said she hopes this will become an annual ride and continue to grow, not only to support the motorcycle community and to remember her brother, but to hopefully remind everybody about the dangers of drinking and driving and prevent another tragedy on area roads.
“That is my hope and I do believe that,” she said. “I think it’s just a matter of hearing that or hearing from someone you know or someone local in your community raising the awareness and the importance of this. We really want to say how can we stop this, how can we make it safer for everybody in our community.”
