WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) — A Wake County man faces multiple felony charges after authorities say he struck a group of cyclists Saturday morning, killing one person and injuring several others.
Just after 9:30 a.m., the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) responded to a crash involving a vehicle and multiple cyclists on Optimist Farm Road near Talicud Trail.
According to the state troopers, the driver traveling on Optimist Farm Road when he struck a group of about 30 bicyclists riding with the Capital Cycling Club.
The man drove away from the scene, ran off the left side of the roadway and crashed into a ditch about a half mile from where the cyclists were hit.
Nearly a dozen additional cyclists were injured, with injuries ranging from minor to serious. They were taken to several area hospitals, including WakeMed Raleigh, WakeMed Cary and UNC Health Holly Springs.
Chief LeRoy Smith of the Holly Springs Fire Department described the scene to ABC11 Saturday morning.
“We had seven traumas, one fatality and about 13 minor injuries that are being treated and transported now,” he said.
Authorities identified the bicyclist who died in the crash as Patrick Turner.
Shaun King, board chair of Bike Durham, said he first learned of the crash through messages from concerned friends and family members.
“This morning, when my wife started to receive messages saying, ‘Are you okay? Are you hurt?’ We scrambled to figure out what was happening,” said King.
King said cyclists across the region were deeply affected by the crash.
“We feel very vulnerable in this moment because this harm that our CCC community members are feeling right now could have happened to any of us,” he said.
He explained how cyclists often ride in organized formations designed to improve safety for both riders and motorists.
“By riding in the style that we do, which is two in line, it means that we are more compact, so that a vehicle passes us under a short duration when they’re in the other line,” said King.
Chief Smith urged motorists to remain aware of cyclists on the road.
“Be aware of, you know, people that are out riding bikes, they have rights to be on the road too, so kind of yield to them and be cautious when you’re riding around bicyclists,” said Smith.
King also called for additional measures to improve safety, including enhanced road signage and public education efforts.
“We could have better signage on roads that, for example, said, ‘share the road with cyclists’, or ‘be watchful of this blind turn’. ‘Pass safely.’ And there’s so many educational opportunities that we could move forward together with if we had better policy,” said King.
Investigators said impairment is suspected to be a factor in the crash. Donald Robert Morris-Jones, 76, of Apex, is in custody and faces several charges, NCSHP said.
Morris-Jones is charged with one count of driving while impaired, one count of driving left of center, one count of reckless driving, eight counts of felony hit-and-run involving serious injury or death, seven counts of felony serious injury by vehicle and one count of felony death by vehicle. He is being held on a $1 million bond.
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