Driver faces charges after cyclist killed in North Carolina crash

A driver suspected of being impaired crossed into the path of a large group of cyclists on a North Carolina road Saturday morning, killing one rider and injuring others before crashing into a ditch about half a mile away, authorities said.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol identified the cyclist who died as Patrick Allen Turner, 63, of Cary. It identified the driver as Donald Robert Morris-Jones, 76, of Apex. Morris-Jones was arrested and held on $1 million bail.

The crash happened on Optimist Farm Road in Wake County, about 14 miles southwest of Raleigh. Shortly after 9:30 a.m., Morris-Jones was driving a black Infiniti west when he crossed the center line and struck cyclists traveling east, according to the Highway Patrol. CBS News reported that the group included more than 40 riders.

Morris-Jones did not stop where the cyclists were struck, authorities said. His car continued down the road, then ran off the left side and crashed into a ditch about half a mile from the cyclists. The Highway Patrol responded to the scene just after 9:30 a.m.

Officials gave differing accounts of how many people were hurt. The Highway Patrol said at least 12 cyclists were injured, with injuries ranging from minor to serious, and that several were taken to hospitals. Holly Springs Fire Chief LeRoy Smith said seven people were transported to a hospital with major injuries and 15 others sustained minor injuries, CBS News reported.

People at the scene told Smith the cyclists belonged to a group that regularly gathers for weekend rides, according to CBS News.

The Highway Patrol said Morris-Jones was charged with death by vehicle, seven counts of serious injury by vehicle, eight counts of hit-and-run, driving while impaired, reckless driving and driving left of center. CBS News described the death-by-vehicle, serious-injury-by-vehicle and hit-and-run charges as felonies, citing officials.

“Impairment is suspected to be a factor in the crash,” the Highway Patrol said. Authorities have not established impairment as a fact in the accounts provided.

Morris-Jones was being held at the Wake County Detention Center, according to the Highway Patrol. The agency said his bail was set at $1 million.