Bicyclist suffers major injuries after he was struck by a car in Merced County

A cyclist suffered major injuries when he was stuck by a car in Merced County on Wednesday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

According to CHP Officer Jesse Talbot, officers responded to a call of a collision between a vehicle and a cyclist on West Dickenson Ferry Road, east of South Gurr Road shortly after 5 p.m.. A 41-year-old Salinas man was riding a bike eastbound on West Dickenson Ferry Road when he was struck by a 2012 Ford Fusion driven by 57-year-old Cathleen Clark of Atwater, according Officer Eric Zuniga.

Authorities said the vehicle was also traveling in the eastbound lane and the driver did not see the cyclist. The vehicle is registered to Merced County, but officers said they don’t know which agency was using the vehicle at the time of the collision.

The cyclist was transported by air ambulance to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto with what authorities described as a possible head injury, ankle injury and possible chest injury. Authorities said drugs or alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the collision which is still under investigation.

This story was originally published November 21, 2018 at 7:28 PM.