CHARLOTTE COUNTY – Florida Highway Patrol has announced that one person has been critically injured after an SUV hit them while they were riding their bicycle in Charlotte County Monday afternoon.
According to the report by FHP, the collision accident occurred as A 65-year-old man from Punta Gorda was riding a bicycle eastbound on the south shoulder of Edgewater Drive, east of Bayshore Road.
As the bicyclist was approaching a Marathon gas station near the intersection with Bayshore, a Nissan Xterra sport utility vehicle driven by a 22 year-old-woman from Port Charlotte, Florida was traveling west in the left turn lane of Edgewater Drive, east of Bayshore Road.
At 5:15:00 PM, the Sport Utility Vehicle attempted to enter the Marathon gas station parking lot and made a left turn traveling directly into the path of the bicyclist.
The pedestrian had no time to react and the bicycle collided with the right side of the sport utility vehicle. After crashing into the bicyclist, the driver of the Nissan Xterra sport utility vehicle illegally fled the scene of the crash.
As a result of the violent collision with the SUV, the pedestrian was critically injured and taken to to an area hospital for emergency medical treatment.
FHP stated that a shortime later the driver and the sport utility vehicle were located. The sport utility vehicle was impounded and the 22 year-old-woman from Port Charlotte, Florida was placed under arrest for leaving the scene of a crash involving a serious injury and driving without a valid license.