A bicyclist hit Wednesday on Buena Vista Boulevard in The Villages suffered a fractured pelvis, lacerations to the head, and a fractured knee cap among other injuries.
Patrick John Welk, 74, of the Village of Bonita was bicycling at 10:50 a.m. north on Buena Vista Boulevard when he was hit by a 2009 GMC truck driven by John Leonard Dorr, 74, of The Villages. Dorr’s truck was also northbound. According to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol, Dorr’s vehicle failed to properly pass the bicycle and as a result the front right bumper hit the bicycle from behind, according to the FHP report.
Welk was knocked from his bicycle to the pavement.
Welk was taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center. Dorr was transported to Leesburg Regional Medical Center.
Dorr was ticketed on a charge of overtaking and passing bicycle with improper distance between them, according to the FHP report.
Welk’s wife Marge said her husband rides a bicycle nearly every day.
She said her husband, who needed four units of blood Wednesday, will probably be confined to a wheelchair during his recovery. She said his tailbone was cracked in half in the accident.
“He won’t be able to put pressure on that part of his body,” she said.
The Welks are active members of St. Timothy Catholic Church.
