Just months after Subaru-Gary Fisher rider Adam Little was struck and killed while riding in Charlotte, NC, several more members were hit while on a training ride.
On Friday, 21-year-old Daniel Burton Wilson II was charged with six counts of felony hit and run for veering left of center and hitting six cyclists on Wednesday.
Interviewed by the Salisbury Post, team rider Chris Harkey recounted how he saw a Nissan Pathfinder swerve into the group of riders in front of him, which included his wife (Lori Harkey) and her sister (Lisa Preslar), and saw bodies fly. Two riders were hit directly, with one sliding across the hood and the other getting dragged under the car. Four more riders then crashed into the vehicle.
Fortunately, no one was killed in the accident, but two riders were taken to the hospital and have undergone surgery and treatment. Others were treated at the scene. The rider who was dragged under the car was able to “jump” free as Wilson drove into a ditch to get around several other cyclists that tried to block his escape. Remarkably, that rider suffered no apparent major injuries and was treated at the scene.
Another motorist followed Wilson who, along with riders at the scene, recorded his license plate number. Police traced the tag and called Wilson’s father, who owned the vehicle. Both his father and mother cooperated in locating Wilson, who turned himself in four hours later. Wilson is currently free without bond until trial.
The Cabarrus County District Attorney’s Office is determining “if this guy was trying to intentionally run over the cyclists,” Sgt. G.A. Barger of the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office said, adding that he could face additional charges.
Read the full story here, with many more pics from the scene. Just don’t bother with the comments, they’re the usual rants between motorists and cyclists except with particularly poor spelling and grammar.
