An Apex man faces more than a dozen felony charges after a crash involving a group of 30 bicyclists left one rider dead and 20 others injured in Wake County on Saturday, Nov. 7. Authorities identified the driver as Donald Robert Morris-Jones, 76, who was held at the Wake County Detention Center under a $1 million secured bond.
The crash happened at about 9:40 a.m. on Optimist Farm Road near Talicud Trail. According to the Holly Springs Fire Department, members of the Capital Cyclist Club were traveling east when a black Infiniti crossed the center line and struck several riders. The car then returned across the center line and ended up in a ditch roughly half a mile from where the cyclists were hit.
Patrick Turner, 63, of Cary, died at the scene. Holly Springs Fire Chief LeRoy Smith said seven people sustained serious injuries and 13 suffered minor injuries. Seven people were taken to hospitals, while some received treatment at the scene. A Wake County EMS bus was brought in to help transport injured riders to local hospitals.
Morris-Jones is charged with driving while impaired, felony death by vehicle, seven counts of felony serious injury by vehicle and eight counts of felony hit-and-run. He also faces charges of reckless driving and driving left of the center. Arrest warrants describe injuries to cyclists that include a leg injury, rib injuries and a cut arm.
The State Highway Patrol said Morris-Jones traveled half a mile before crashing his vehicle and stumbling out. Authorities also accuse him of attempting to flee the scene. Court documents state that he has no criminal record but describe him as an overwhelming danger to society.
The cause of the alleged impairment remained unclear. WRAL asked police whether alcohol, drugs or medication were involved. A State Highway Patrol spokesperson declined to speculate and said the final crash report would answer many of the questions surrounding the collision.
Emergency radio traffic available through Broadcastify described multiple injured people and the car in a ditch as responders arrived. One cyclist told WRAL that the group regularly rides the route together. Nearby resident Bob Schroder, a former cyclist, expressed sympathy for those injured and said he hoped the survivors would live through their injuries.
Optimist Farm Road reopened after the crash. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol was responding to the incident, and WRAL was seeking further information about the conditions of the other bicyclists.
