A Villages bicyclist was seriously injured when he was hit by a Jaguar near the Manatee Recreation Center.
Ken Nevers, 61, of the Village of Fenney was bicycling in the multi-modal lane along Hillsborough Trail at 6:50 a.m. Tuesday when the silver 2003 Jaguar struck the rear of his bicycle, according to an accident report from the Florida Highway Patrol. The vehicle fled the scene.
He suffered a broken rib, a separated shoulder, stitches to the forehead and lost a lot of skin. He had been wearing a helmet.
“I was on Hillsborough on the far right of the golf cart lane, when I noticed a Jaguar behind me completely in the golf cart lane. The driver accelerated and mowed me down. I was right up against the curb and had no escape. I was told my head bounced off the windshield, splitting my helmet in half, as I rolled off the drivers side hood onto the pavement. The driver accelerated and never looked back,” he said.
Nevers said he thought the driver might have been texting.
“It’s a dog eat dog world out there,” he said.
The Florida license plate number of the Jaguar is NWQG97, the report said.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the FHP by calling (813) 558-1800 or Crime Stoppers at **TIPS.
This is the second hit-and-run crash involving bicyclists in The Villages within a week.
This past Friday, 60-year-old Jessica Laube of the Village of Dunedin, was riding on Morse Boulevard when she was struck by a white Mercedes that fled the scene. The driver was described as a white-haired woman with a cane. Laube suffered brain trauma, even though she had been wearing a high-end, protective helmet. She was taken by ambulance to Ocala Regional Medical Center. She had been riding with her husband, 68-year-old Robert Hunter, who was also injured, but was released from the hospital on the day of the accident.
The FHP continues to search for the white Mercedes, which is believed to have heavy damage to the right side and front windshield.
