By Joe Johnson
Athens-Clarke County police said Thursday they were continuing attempts to identify a hit-and-run driver whose vehicle collided with a bicyclist Saturday night.
The cyclist, a 67-year-old Athens man, was struck at about 11 p.m., when he was riding his bicycle on Tallassee Road and was crossing the railroad bridge just north of Mill Drive when the side view mirror of a gray sport utility vehicle struck him, causing visible injuries and severe pain, according to police. The bicyclist said that he was wearing a high-visibility yellow shirt and had three flashing lights on the rear of his bicycle.
According to police, the victim said the vehicle’s mirror struck him so hard that it broke off and fell to the ground, but the vehicle never slowed down or stopped, as it continued traveling northbound.
The bicyclist had collected the mirror and he gave it to officers, according to police, who said that based on the part’s serial number and the victim’s statement, officers believed that the mirror is from a gray Ford Escape or Ecosport.
According to several Internet searches, the same mirror and turn signal light could also be from a Ford Focus, however the bicyclist said that the vehicle was an SUV.
Police asked for anyone with information about this case to contact Officer Erik Ellison at 762-400-7394 or Erik.Ellison@accgov.com.