Community shaken after tragic death of Norristown police officer

Corporal Brian Kozera, a 16-year member of the Norristown Police Department, was training in Lancaster County on Saturday for the Ironman World Championship when he was struck by a pickup. Kozera leaves behind a wife and three young daughters, one of whom has special needs.

NORRISTOWN, Pa. - A Montgomery County community is mourning the loss of a veteran police officer, cancer survivor, husband and father who was killed in a bicycle accident over the weekend.

Corporal Brian Kozera, a 16-year member of the Norristown Police Department, was training in Lancaster County on Saturday for the Ironman World Championship when he was struck by a pickup.

Chief Derrick Woods said the driver stayed on scene and the investigation into the fatal crash is ongoing. He called the Kozera's death a "tragedy" and "a hole that we are never going to fill."

Kozera leaves behind a wife and three young daughters, one of whom has special needs.

"What do you say to a wife who just lost her companion, father of her children? No words," said Officer Dan DeOrzio who worked closely with Kozera.

Kozera was a cancer survivor, beating Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2015. His Ironman fundraising page titled "Help crush cancer in Kona" aimed to raise money for cancer research.

"Big loss for our department, for our community. I got so many emails and text messages from people in the community showing how much he mean to them, how much they'll miss him." Woods said.

Norristown Recreation Manager Erica Genaurdi said she worked with Kozera on several projects involving kids in the community.

"That's what he was, single most amazing, caring human being," Genaurdi said. "All he wanted to do is do anything he could for everybody else."