COLUMBIA TWP. — A bicyclist was critically injured after being struck by a car Thursday evening on a stretch of winding country road.
An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper and a Columbia Township firefighter inspect the scene of a bicycle crash on East River Road in Columbia Township on June 9. The car in the back hit the bike, police say. STEVE MANHEIM/CHRONICLE
Rodney Harms, 64, of Valley City, was traveling south on state Route 252 shortly before 7:30 p.m. when an Oldsmobile sedan driven by Bradley Denington, 20, of Spencer, struck him just south of Squire Road, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol.
Harms was taken by ambulance to Southwest General Health Center and then flown to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, where he was listed in critical condition Friday morning.
“He had an open head injury and was unresponsive,” Columbia Township Fire Chief Ray Anthony said.
Denington was placed in the back of a patrol cruiser while troopers investigated where Harms’ mangled Giant 12-speed bicycle could be seen on the west side of the road.
Troopers strung caution tape across the road and blocked traffic as they took measurements and photos Thursday evening. The road was closed for three hours.
Patrol Sgt. Pablo Cruz said Harms had numerous serious visible injuries. The Oldsmobile Eighty Eight hit him with such force that Harms nearly smashed through the windshield, he said.
“He was wearing a helmet, but the helmet was annihilated,” Cruz said.
Cruz said a witness traveling behind Denington saw his car cross over the white line a couple times. The witness kept a safe distance from Denington because she was concerned about the way Denington was driving, Cruz said.
Denington told troopers he was on his way to work and had just left a nearby convenience store where he had stopped to pick up a beverage, Cruz said. He also told troopers he saw Harms and tried to swerve but could not avoid hitting him.
The patrol said alcohol and drugs are not suspected as factors in the crash, according to a news release, and charges against Denington are pending after an investigation.
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