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Parents of cyclist who was killed in crosswalk file wrongful death lawsuit against driver

Shiloh Skalka, 16, was killed in July in Burlington after she was struck by a vehicle while crossing a roadway on her e-bike in a crosswalk with warning lights flashing. Provided photo

By Alan J. KeaysPublished Oct 7, 2026, 3:45 PMUpdated Oct 8, 20264 min read

A young person smiling at the camera with a vast, hilly landscape in the background during sunset.

Shiloh Skalka, 16, was killed in July in Burlington after she was struck by a vehicle while crossing a roadway on her e-bike in a crosswalk with warning lights flashing. Provided photo

" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/sskalka_large_horizontal_5x7-1200x900.jpg?crop=1" /> Shiloh Skalka, 16, was killed in July in Burlington after she was struck by a vehicle while crossing a roadway on her e-bike in a crosswalk with warning lights flashing. Provided photo

The parents of a 16-year-old girl are suing a Burlington folk artist who already faces charges that he struck and killed her as she rode an e-bike in a crosswalk with warning lights flashing.

Christian Skalka and Susan Skalka, the parents of Shiloh Skalka, filed the lawsuit against Douglas Knapp this week in Chittenden County civil court in Burlington. Knapp is a well-known Burlington folk artist using the name dug Nap.

The lawsuit comes about three months after the July crash and a little more than a month after Knapp, 80, was arraigned. He pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of negligent operation of a motor vehicle resulting in the death of Shiloh, who was a rising junior at Burlington High School.

“She was kind and loving to her friends, always supportive, and to us as well — to me, my wife, her twin brother,” Christian Skalka said Wednesday of Shiloh. “She always wanted to know how we were feeling and hear our thoughts.”

She excelled at school with strong interests in history and art, he said. She also loved animals and spending time with her friends, hiking, skiing and riding horses, her father said, adding, “She loved to ride her bike.”

Her father recalled a video of his daughter when she was about 2 years old riding a bicycle with training wheels. “When she was older we would go riding together,” he said, calling her an experienced cyclist.

Shiloh went out on her e-bike on the afternoon of July 16 after returning home from working a shift at Starbucks. The crash occurred at the intersection of Pine and Locust streets. She was heading west on Locust Street when she stopped at a crosswalk, according to court filings.

She activated the crossing signal, waited about 3 seconds, and began to cross the roadway, the documents stated. Shiloh, who was wearing a helmet, was struck seconds later in the crosswalk by a Dodge Grand Caravan going south on Pine Street, driven by Knapp. According to court filings, the warning lights had been flashing for 7 seconds when the crash took place.

The civil lawsuit asserts: “Despite recognizing that he had hit Shiloh, as he stated to law enforcement, Defendant Knapp continued to drive his vehicle over Shiloh’s body and south of the crash before finally coming to a stop.”

Shiloh was taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington and later died from multiple injuries.

According to the court filings, police estimated that Knapp was driving 28 mph in the 25-mph zone leading up to the crash.

“After a crash investigation and reconstruction conducted by law enforcement,” the lawsuit stated, “it was determined that had Defendant Knapp been paying attention to the roadway, even traveling at the speed of 28 miles per hour, he would have had adequate time to stop at the crosswalk allowing Shiloh to safely cross the intersection.”

Knapp could not be reached Wednesday, and it was not clear if he had an attorney representing him in the civil case. Austin Howard, an attorney who represented Knapp at his arraignment on the criminal case, could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

“We cannot change what happened, but we can insist on accountability,” Brooks McArthur, an attorney for the parents, said Wednesday.

The criminal case and the civil lawsuit are separate proceedings that serve different purposes, McArthur added.

“The criminal case is brought by the state and addresses whether the defendant should be held criminally accountable,” he said. “Our civil case is brought on behalf of Shiloh and her family and seeks accountability and justice for the loss of her life.”

The Skalka family has established a memorial fund in Shiloh’s honor through the Vermont Community Foundation. The fund, called Shiloh’s Memorial Fund for Kindness and Creativity, aims to support giving to local organizations and community programs aligned with her values.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Parents of cyclist who was killed in crosswalk file wrongful death lawsuit against driver.

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Parents of cyclist who was killed in crosswalk file wrongful death lawsuit against driver

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