Driver arrested after crash kills cyclist in North Carolina

A driver struck a group of cyclists on Optimist Farm Road in Wake County, North Carolina, on November 7, killing Patrick Turner and injuring other riders, authorities said. The 76-year-old driver, Donald Robert MorrisJones, was arrested after leaving the scene and crashing his car into a ditch. Authorities said impairment was suspected.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said the collision happened shortly after 9:30 a.m. The car crossed the center line and hit members of the Capital Cycling Club, then continued away from the group before running off the road about half a mile away. The patrol said the vehicle crashed into a ditch.

Turner, 63, died in the collision. Reports citing Holly Springs Fire Chief LeRoy Smith said 20 cyclists were injured: seven seriously and 13 with minor injuries. Another account reported 22 injured riders, saying seven were taken to trauma centers and 15 to local hospitals. The reports do not establish how those totals relate, so the final number of injured cyclists remains unsettled.

MorrisJones was arrested after authorities located his car. The charges reported include felony death by vehicle, seven counts of felony serious injury by vehicle,...