A bicyclist was airlifted to a hospital in Ocala after he was hit by a New York driver who fled the scene.
The 66-year-old bicyclist, who is a resident of Bushnell, had been riding a bicycle and towing a trailer at about 9:30 p.m. Monday along County Road 476 just west of County Road 607B south of Bushnell, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. He was struck from behind by a vehicle and knocked to the shoulder of the road. The driver kept going, but investigators were able to locate parts of the car which struck the bicyclist.
The bicyclist was seriously injured and flown by helicopter to Ocala Regional Medical Center.
Law enforcement later found a damaged black Dodge Journey which had crashed into a fence. Another FHP trooper was investigating that crash, but noticed the vehicle was missing part of a side mirror and fog light, the same items left behind in the crash that injured the bicyclist earlier in the night.
The driver of the Dodge Journey was identified as 64-year-old Michael Mertens of Syracuse, New York. He was identified by his New York driver’s license. He claimed he’d hit a deer earlier in the night.
He was arrested on a charge of hit and run and was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center where he was initially held without bond.