One cyclist was killed and 22 others were injured on Saturday morning when an allegedly impaired driver crossed the center line and plowed into a group of about 30 cyclists on a two-lane road outside Raleigh, North Carolina, authorities said.
The crash happened around 9:40 a.m. on Optimist Farm Road in Wake County, about 14 miles southwest of Raleigh. A black Infiniti driven by 76-year-old Donald Robert Morris-Jones of Apex crossed into the eastbound lane and struck the group from the Capital Cycling Club, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said. The driver continued on before running off the road into a ditch about a half-mile away.
Patrick Allen Turner, a 63-year-old cyclist from Cary, died at the scene, the Highway Patrol said. Seven cyclists suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospitals, while 15 others had minor injuries, Holly Springs Fire Chief LeRoy Smith said.
Morris-Jones was arrested and faces multiple felony charges, including felony death by vehicle, felony serious injury by vehicle, hit-and-run involving serious injury or death, and driving while impaired, along with reckless driving and driving left of center. He was being held on a $1 million secured bond and is set to appear in court on Monday afternoon, according to court records.
The cyclists were on a regular weekend club ride, and Optimist Farm Road is a frequent route for the group, one rider told WRAL. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is leading the investigation, and the road later reopened.
