An injured bicyclist from eastern Iowa is out of the hospital and back at work following a frightening accident two weeks ago. Joey Richey says he was riding his bike on a Linn County road when he was hit from behind by a passing motorist. The 27-year-old Richey believes he was hit by the rear view mirror on a pickup truck, which continued down the road.
“It pushed me off into the ditch, and I crashed there,” Richey explained. “I’m hoping at least the driver didn’t realize something happened and wouldn’t just leave someone with an unknown condition in the ditch.” Linn County sheriffs deputies are still searching for the white pickup truck and the driver responsible for the crash. Richey, who’s from Marion, spent two-and-a-half days in the hospital. His broken shoulder blade is still healing.
“Then I had to get stitches in my left knee, one in the back of my head and my lower back is pretty bruised up,” Richey said. Wearing a helmet, Richey says he was riding with traffic when the truck hit him from behind. In August, a similar accident killed a cyclist in Warren County.
Fifty-four-year-old Mark Grgurich died when a truck hit him as he rode his bicycle on a county road. Authorities later arrested 80-year-old Paul McKinney, who is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash.
By Claire Kellett, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids