Driver faces multiple felonies after crash kills cyclist and injures others in Wake County
A 76-year-old man was arrested and charged with several felonies after a vehicle struck a group of cyclists on Optimist Farm Road, killing one rider and injuring multiple others.
A Wake County man was arrested on multiple felony counts after a vehicle collided with a group of cyclists on Optimist Farm Road near Talicud Trail on Saturday morning. The crash, which involved roughly 30 members of the Capital Cycling Club, resulted in one fatality and serious injuries to seven riders, with additional cyclists sustaining minor to serious injuries.
North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers said the driver, identified as 76-year-old Donald Robert Morris-Jones of Apex, fled the scene, veered off the left side of the road and crashed in a ditch about half a mile away. Investigators suspect impairment played a role in the incident.
Morris-Jones is being held on a $1 million bond and faces charges that include driving while impaired, driving left of center, reckless driving, eight counts of felony hit-and-run involving serious injury or death, seven counts of felony serious injury by vehicle, and one count of felony death by vehicle. The deceased cyclist was identified as Patrick Turner.
Optimist Farm Road remains closed while the investigation continues, and authorities have urged drivers to avoid the area. The State Highway Patrol is leading the investigation.