One person died and nearly two dozen were injured when a car crossed the center line and plowed into a group of cyclists winding its way through a wooded, two-lane road outside of Raleigh on Saturday morning , November 7, t he North Carolina State Highway Patrol said. A North Carolina man , 76-year-old Donald Robert Morris-Jones, is now facing several felony charges after allegedly hitting the group and driving away.
The incident took place when the cyclists were traveling together amid the fall colors along Optimist Farm Road, in Wake County, about 14 miles southwest of Raleigh .
A black passenger car crossed the center line and plowed into the group, the highway patrol said.
What we know about the victims and the suspect
Morris-Jones, of Apex , was taken into custody . He faces several charges, including hit-and-run causing serious injury or death, serious injury by a vehicle, and driving while impaired. Seven people with more serious injuries were taken to regional trauma centers and 15 others were hospitalized, Chief LeRoy Smith of the Holly Springs Fire Department told CNN. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday afternoon, November 9, court records show.
