Holly Springs, North Carolina: One Cyclist Killed, at Least 20 Injured After Car Crosses Center Line Into Club Ride

One cyclist was killed and at least 20 others were injured on Saturday morning when a car crossed the center line of a rural Wake County road and hit a group ride organized by the Capital Cycling Club, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

The crash happened shortly after 9:30 a.m. on Optimist Farm Road, near Talicud Trail, east of Holly Springs and about 14 miles southwest of Raleigh. Troopers said a black Infiniti traveling east crossed the center line and struck a group of about 30 riders heading west. The car continued around a bend and came to rest in a ditch roughly half a mile from the point of impact.

Riders taken to trauma centers and area hospitals

Holly Springs Fire Chief LeRoy Smith said seven riders with serious injuries were taken to trauma centers. Other injured riders were treated at local hospitals, including WakeMed Raleigh, WakeMed Cary and UNC Health Holly Springs. Fire officials put the injured count at 20, while CNN, citing Chief Smith, reported 22 injured. Officials had not released a single confirmed total on Saturday afternoon, and the rider who was killed had not been publicly identified.

Video from the scene showed a wooded stretch of winding two-lane road, with law enforcement officers inspecting a stack of bicycles propped against a guardrail while some riders remained nearby.

Driver in custody, impairment suspected

The Highway Patrol identified the driver as Donald Robert Morris-Jones, 76, of Apex. He was taken into custody and charges are pending. Troopers said impairment is a suspected factor in the crash. The Highway Patrol is leading the investigation, and officials have not said what charges Morris-Jones will face.

The Capital Cycling Club, based in the Apex area, is one of the oldest cycling clubs in North Carolina and opens its group rides to riders of all abilities. Saturday's ride was a regular club outing on roads the club uses outside Raleigh. Authorities have not released the conditions of the injured riders, and investigators have not said how fast the car was traveling or whether any other factor contributed to the crash.