Other cyclists chased down the suspected drunk driver and ensured that police found him
June 19, 2024 at 21:00
- A pair of cyclists were hit by an allegedly drunk and reckless driver in Dallas on Monday.
- Other cyclists in the group pursued and apprehended the driver who initially fled the scene.
- Police charged that driver with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and intoxication assault with a vehicle.
In several states, cyclists are considering full-on road users, just like cars and motorcycles. As such, drivers have a responsibility not only to treat them with respect, but also to submit to the same laws regarding accidents.
In Dallas on Monday, one Subaru Forester driver did neither, smashing into two riders, running over one, and attempting to flee. However, he likely didn’t anticipate other cyclists being swift enough to catch him.
Read: Reckless Cyclists To Face Up To 14 Years Behind Bars Under Proposed UK Law
The riders in question, Thomas Geppert, 69, and Deborah Eads, 65, were at the back of a larger group of cyclists. The peloton was riding near DFW airport, a popular route for cyclists in the area. Video from a rider just ahead of Geppert and Eads shows the entire disturbing interaction between them and the Subaru.
It shows as the SUV comes up behind the riders in lane two as a Jeep drives next to it in lane one. The riders are taking up the entire lane which is legal in Texas and typically assumed as the safer way to ride in a large group. The Forester doesn’t appear to slow down for them at all judging on the speed of the Jeep. It hits Eads first, destroying the rear triangle of her road bike and throwing her off to the right. Then, it bumps Geppert who initially appears to avoid serious damage.
Then, the driver, identified as 31-year-old Benjamin Hylander by police, proceeded to run over both Geppert and his bike. He fled the scene, only to be chased down by other riders when he stopped at a convenience store. Police discovered six empty cans of New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juice Force IPAs in his vehicle, each with an ABV of 9.5 percent. Additionally, two more empty cans of Coors were found near his Subaru.
Warning: Some viewers may find the following video disturbing
“All of a sudden, something pushes me from behind,” Geppert recalled. “Then I could feel myself falling from the right, and then that’s pretty much the last thing I remember. I was unconscious for a number of minutes,” he told Fox 4 News. “I guess some people thought I wasn’t breathing. Just so lucky it happened to be my thigh, and I think the bike kind of elevated the car a little bit.”
Thankfully, both Geppert and Eads are reportedly expected to recover despite their harrowing experience. Hylander is now facing charges of two counts of intoxication assault with a vehicle and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
NEW: Hit-and-run driver was caught on camera knocking two cyclists off their bikes and then running one of them over
Video captures two riders in the right lane, suddenly rammed from behind by the vehicle near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Tuesday
One cyclist was… pic.twitter.com/b0GU5PGnUF
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) June 19, 2024