North Carolina hit and run leaves six cyclists injured
North Carolina hit and run leaves six cyclists injured (file photo) (AFP/Getty Images)
The USA's North Carolina Highway Patrol has charged Daniel Wilson II with six counts of Class H felony for a hit-and-run.
Wilson allegedly swerved his Nissan Pathfinder into a bicycle group ride, for reasons still unknown, hitting six cyclists and dragging one under the vehicle before fleeing the scene in Cabarrus County, NC on Wednesday 19 May.
Wilson, 21, turned himself in at the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, four hours after the incident but was released on a promissory note to appear in court on Tuesday 25 May. It was reported that a Carrabus County prosecutor will ask the judge to review the officer’s decision to release Wilson without bond.
The Cabarrus County District Attorney's Office is determining Wilson’s intentions in the incident. If convicted, Wilson could face 30 months of prison time for each of this Class H felony charges along with additional charges.
According to reports, Wilson was driving north on Saint Stephens Church Road and turned into a group of 18 cyclists travelling south toward Mt Pleasant, going downhill at about 30 mph. Six cyclists were hit and one cyclist was caught under the car as Wilson tried to drive away. He got free as Wilson proceeded to drive North on Saint Stephens Church Road, according to Sgt. G.A. Barger of the Highway Patrol.
No riders were killed. Four of the victims, Lori Harkey, Tim Sigmon, Jack King and Nathan Gray were taken to the Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast in Concord. The list of injuries included head trauma, broken bones, bruising and lacerations.
Nick Fishbein and Richard Hancock, the cyclist caught under the vehicle were treated on site.
As Wilson fled the scene, a motorist followed him to record his license plate numbers. The car was traced to Wilson’s father and both parents help police locate Wilson.
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User Comments
There are 3 comments on this post
Showing 1 - 3 of 3 comments
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43guy
Posted Fri 28 May, 4:23 pm BST Flag as inappropriate
Lets hope the 'lock em up forever' US justce system responds with extreme prejudice on this occasion.
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43guy
Posted Fri 28 May, 4:31 pm BST Flag as inappropriate
I thougth this story which did not appear on Bike radar needed posting here as it had a fatal ending yet Bikeradar didn't mention it. It was reported from the bbc news website
Tuesday, 4 May 2010. If you can find it anywhere on this site then I apologise, but you won't. Perhaps the cyclist was only a commuter!!
A plumber who smashed into and killed a cyclist after losing control of his car has escaped a jail sentence.
Father-of-one Brian Taylor, 29, suffered fatal injuries after being hit while he cycled to work in the early hours of the morning.
At an earlier hearing Stephen McKay, 35, from Dunfermline, pled guilty to causing his death by careless driving.
At Dunfermline Sheriff Court, he was sentenced to 240 hours community service and a 12 months driving ban.
Mr Taylor was on his way to his work at a Dunfermline-based bakery when the fatal collision occurred on 15 November 2008.
When police arrived McKay told them Mr Taylor did not have his lights on and had "hit the car".
Accident investigators found tyre marks and skid marks which indicated McKay had been driving on the wrong side of the road, and had lost control.
Louise Ward, prosecuting, said post-accident analysis showed McKay had been doing up to 60mph on the unclassified Grange Road, Dunfermline, which has a limit of 40mph.
Sheriff Craig McSherry told him: "Had you been driving at a reckless speed you would be facing a charge of reckless driving.
"This quite obviously had a terrible outcome for the family of the accused, but in saying that, I do not believe the level of carelessness is substantial enough to merit a sentence of imprisonment."
However, Neil Greig, assistant director of the Institutes of Advanced Motorists Motoring Trust, said the sheriff's decision "sent out the wrong message".
He said: "People who are charged with a death because of their driving should be given a strong message that they will be punished."
McKay was also fined £260 after admitting causing a breach of the peace in August 2009.
The court heard he threatened to "smash" a customer with a three-foot steel water key, after his standard of work was questioned.
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salsarider79
Posted Tue 1 Jun, 10:33 am BST Flag as inappropriate
I can't believe that the guy was released without a bond. Normally any death through bad driving, or as in this case, deliberate bad driving, would warrant some difficult questions. If the guy did it deliberatly, then it should be 6 counts of attempted murder, shurely?
Also, the above post: "Sheriff Craig McSherry told him: "Had you been driving at a reckless speed you would be facing a charge of reckless driving." ". So 60mph in a 40mph zone and on the wrong side of the road isn't reckless driving??? He gets 240hours community service and 12month ban. Hardly a deterrent really. Makes me wonder what message that sends out.
"OK, so you just killed a cyclist/pedesrian while driving. Ok, so you were drunk, and yes you were driving too fast, but don't worry, catch the bus for a bit, pay us some of your beer money, off you go. Don't worry, it'll be off your licence in a few years, and it won't inconvience you too much."
This kind of story scares me....
