BOULDER CITY, Nev. – What was supposed to be a routine bike ride turned into deadly crash in Nevada.
Thursday morning, a box truck plowed into a group of bicyclists on U.S. 95, killing five of them.
At least three other bicyclists were injured. One was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition from the scene south of Boulder City. Another one was transported by ambulance and is in serious condition. The third bicyclist suffered minor injuries.
Troopers with Nevada Highway Patrol say the driver of the box truck was not hurt and is cooperating with police. They don’t believe at this time that the driver was impaired.
The bicyclists did have a safety car with them at the time of the incident. However, one group of cyclists was in front of the car and the other was behind. It is not known which group was struck.
“I don’t even know. It’s just the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life," said former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Anderson.
He was collecting his thoughts after a horrific day. Five of his fellow bicyclists were killed after that box truck struck their group.
“Try to contact their families... I don’t even know how to say it to them,” he said.
Anderson says the wind caused part of the group to get behind a safety vehicle to protect themselves when the box truck hit them. The group was on an annual bike ride, making a 135-mile loop into California.
NHP troopers say the crash was one of the worst they’ve ever seen.
“It’s a horrific tragedy when you have a beautiful sunny day like this, and we just lost the lives of five people,” Trooper Travis Smaka said.
Watch law enforcement provide an update on the crash:
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak also shared that he was devastated about the situation and sent love to all those affected.
I was devastated to hear this news this morning. Kathy and I are sending all our love to the families affected and to those on the scene responding to the situation. https://t.co/XQ0ztzJt4o
— Governor Sisolak (@GovSisolak) December 10, 2020
This story was originally published by Amy Abdelsayed and Jeremy Chen at KTNV.
