By Donald R. Winslow
© 2009 News Photographer magazine
UPDATED: To include funeral arrangements, college fund information
ORLANDO, FL (November 10, 2009) – Photographer Chris Livingston was hit by a car Monday while bicycle riding on a trail near Cleaveland Road, and he died from his injuries after being transported to the Orlando Regional Medical Center, according to police.
Livingston, 36, is survived by his wife, Catherine Zorovich Livingston, and their son, Benjamin, who turns 2 years old today.
Police said Livingston was southbound on a bike trail when he was hit by a woman who was driving eastbound on Cleaveland Road.
According to Livingston's blog, the photographer had returned to a regime of fitness following the birth of his son, losing 60 pounds over 28 months and running in the OUC Downtown Orlando Triathlon in September with a personal-best time of 1:15:22.
About his love of bicycling and running, Livingston wrote on his blog, "Being able to go out and think nothing of running 9 miles or biking 37 miles gives me great confidence that I can complete a difficult task no matter what. Also the fact that I've lost 60 lbs. shows me that the mind is an amazing thing when you harness it."
"It's so ironic he died doing something that he started so he could be physically fit and live longer," Orlando-based freelancer Gary Bogdon told News Photographer magazine today. Bogdon says Livingston was his best friend, and that Livingston had set out on his fitness quest when he was stunned by Bogdon's heart attack two years ago.
"When I had my heart attack, Chris was shocked and decided to do something about his weight, so he started running and swimming and biking and trained for triathlons," Bogdon said. "That's what he was doing yesterday. He mixed it up. He would bike some days, run some days, and swim."
Livingston was on a 20-mile ride yesterday when the accident happened, Bogdon said. "He was on one of these trails where old railroad beds have been converted to trails, and he'd gone half-way, turned back, and was crossing a road when he was hit. We don't know much more than that, whether the driver was speeding or anything," Bogdon said.
Aside from their frequent daily phone calls, Bogdon said he and Livingston had assisted each other on hundreds of photo shoots over the past few years, and had helped out each other's families in times of need.
Livingston's photographs have appeared in Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and other major publications. Before freelancing in Florida he worked for the Tarentum Valley News Dispatch in Pennsylvania, and the Tribune Chronicle in Warren, OH. The photographer first joined NPPA in 1995.
Funeral arrangements have been announced, beginning with a viewing on Thursday November 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST at Woodlawn Memorial Park, 400 Woodlawn Cemetery Road, Gotha, FL. The funeral service will be Friday, November 13, at 10 a.m. EST at St. Pauls Presbyterian Church, 1450 Citrus Oaks Ave., Gotha, FL.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, friends please consider making a donation to Benjamin's college fund. A Post Office Box has been established for those who wish to make a contribution to the the education fund. Friends ask that donations be mailed to: Catherine Livingston, P.O. Box 1026, Ocoee, FL, 34761.
