A Warrensburg, Missouri, man is hospitalized with serious injuries after the driver of a Jeep appeared to swerve to hit the man and then fled the scene.
I'm not letting this incident renew my rejected stereotype that Missouri is not friendly toward bicyclists. I just have to remember that this hit-and-run in the western part of the state happened the same day that the community of Hannibal was trying to help out a cross-country bike traveler whose bike and gear had been stolen.
Witnesses said that Michael Martin, 53, was riding his LeMond bicycle east on Business Route 50 when the Jeep approached late Friday morning. One witness told the :
“The blue Jeep just swerved over, hit him, and moved back, and then drove off. … The (Jeep) was going straight on the road and he just moved over real quick – he just purposefully hit him.”
Another witness collaborated that account.
Cross-country
A cross-country bicyclist, Matt Cazalas, happened upon the crash scene while paramedics were tending to Martin. He was heading home from a bicycle tour of the Pacific coast and points in between. He took a photo that's posted at Crazy Guy on a Bike. He wrote:
” … A little later I pedaled through gridlocked Warrensburg traffic … . The source of the traffic jam was a gut-wrenching scene: a cyclist had been hit, sustaining serious injuries. An eye-witness alleged the driver swerved to take the cyclist out before fleeing the scene. … “
The newspaper says Warrensburg police have a good lead in the case.
I hope they catch this weasel, stick him in jail and throw away the key. But it's not going to make me believe that all of Missouri is anti-bicycle.
Recent Comments