EUGENE, Ore. -- The Ireland Trucking Co. has agreed to donate more than $1 million to promote bicycle safety.

The money will go into the Jane Higdon Memorial Fund, named after a Eugene woman killed when her bicycle slipped under an Ireland logging truck in May 2006.

Higdon, 47, was a triathlete, author and developer of Oregon State University's Micronutrient Information Center. Her husband, Tom Jefferson, created the fund six months after her death.

Ireland's donation, to be paid during a span of 20 years, was part of an agreement to resolve issues related to Higdon's death, without assigning legal fault.

No criminal charges were filed against Myrtle Creek-based Ireland Trucking or its driver. A company representative declined comment Wednesday.

"What we hope can come out of this tragedy is a means to avoid similar tragedies in the future," Jefferson said in a statement. "I believe that this donation will provide a living memorial to Jane, and I am pleased that something positive can come out of such a tragic event."

Over the past year, Ireland Trucking has sponsored research into the best ways of using the money to prevent similar accidents. The study's tentative conclusion is that more staffing is needed to make sure that money dedicated to bike paths and bike lanes is maximized.

The death occurred on Territorial Road, which does not have such a lane. Higdon was riding south with three other cyclists on a narrow stretch and approaching a curve when the logging truck, also going south, passed in a no-passing zone. The second in a line of four cyclists fell, and Higdon, last in line, attempted to swerve to avoid him, but lost control.

An Oregon State Police investigation concluded that a fog line, recently painted, had been made slick by rain earlier in the day, and contributed to crash.