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Cyclist involved in auto collision now stable
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Posted on May 21 2020
A cyclist with the Triathlon Association of the CNMI who was involved in an auto collision during a routine bike ride last Sunday morning is now in stable condition at the Commonwealth Health Center.
According to members of the Triathlon Association of the CNMI, the accident happened early Sunday morning along Puerto Rico Road sometime around 6am during a routine group bike ride.
Members of the association who participated in the ride last Sunday said that Florence Antonio was riding outside the lane and that the driver of the vehicle was driving at a high speed before colliding with the cyclist.
TRAC members also said that when Antonio was brought to CHC Emergency Room, he was in critical condition but was reportedly stable as of yesterday.
Department of Public Safety spokesperson Dre Pangelinan confirmed that the incident was not a hit-and-run case and that the car’s driver stayed with Antonio until police arrived.
According to a DPS statement, DPS received a 911 call at about 6:30am last Sunday, reporting an injured cyclist who was hit by a vehicle along Chalan Pale Arnold Road.
Police units arrived at the scene at about 6:32am and came upon a person who was lying on the northbound shoulder of the road, near a damaged bicycle. The individual was responsive but was in pain and unable to answer questions at the time. Shortly after, medics arrived and brought the victim to the CHC emergency room.
In an interview with the driver of the vehicle who hit the cyclist, the operator stated that they were traveling northbound on the outer lane when they noticed two cyclists riding side-by-side, with one occupying the shoulder of the road, and the second occupying the outer northbound lane.
The operator stated that as they were about to pass the two cyclists, when one cyclist began to make a left turn toward the road. This was when the vehicle hit the bicycle.
After further investigation, DPS found that the operator of the vehicle was at fault for not exercising the mandatory 3-foot distance a vehicle must give to a cyclist.
