A senior driver is under scrutiny for allegedly plowing through a group of cyclists in Georgia, resulting in one cyclist suffering a spinal fracture, then fleeing the scene in a hit-and-run incident captured on video.
Seventy-two-year-old Jerry Wayne Ross was photographed grinning widely during his booking after facing charges related to the hit-and-run with his Honda Pilot. The incident, recorded on April 23 in Cherokee County, Georgia, was reported by Fox 5 Atlanta.
The North Georgia Cycling Association was on their routine Thursday evening ride when Ross allegedly approached the group in what is suspected to be a road rage episode.
During their 32-mile route through Cherokee County, the cyclists encountered Ross, who persistently honked his horn for nearly two miles along Sugar Pike Rd in Canton.
“It was just excessive. He never let up on the horn,” recalled Richard Collins, the group’s leader, in an interview with Fox 5 Atlanta.
The cyclists, riding two abreast along the picturesque rural road, were overtaken by Ross, who reportedly accelerated alongside the leading group, as seen in footage captured by one of the cyclists and shared with the news outlet.
Ross is believed to have pulled up alongside the first group of cyclists, striking one of the riders with his passenger side mirror.
“I turned to my left to see it, at that moment, that vehicle was on my left leg,” he said.
The cyclists, who became tangled up by the bump, collided into the side of Ross’ car and crashed onto the pavement.
The vehicle sped away as Collins was left lying in the road.
Collins said he sustained road rash on his shoulder, elbow and knee and was treated by paramedics who were called to the scene.
He was later examined by an orthopedist and discovered he had suffered a fracture to his lower spine, he told the outlet.
Both cyclists were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Ross was found hiding out at a neighbor’s house down the road after officials from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spotted damage to his SUV consistent with hitting a bicycle.
The suspected driver told authorities that he had encountered the group of cyclists but denied responsibility, blaming the bikers for the collision, saying the riders had been in the middle of the road, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Ross was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault, aggressive driving, hit-and-run and failing to maintain distance, according to jail records viewed by The Post.
He remains behind bars in the Cherokee County Jail with his charges totaling $24,540.
