KEY POINTS

  • One of the critically injured was flown to hospital
  • Investigators do not believe that truck driver was impaired by alcohol
  • The group of 20 cyclists were accompanied by a safety vehicle

Five bicyclists on a “retirement ride” were killed and four injured in Las Vegas after a truck hit their group on Thursday morning.

The tragic crash happened at around 12:40 p.m. EST when a group of about 20 cyclists were hit from behind by a box truck as they rode on the shoulder of U.S. 95. The incident was reported at mile marker 35, south of Boulder Highway, according to Nevada Highway patrol.

The bicyclists were travelling southbound on U.S. 95 with a Subaru hatchback as a safety vehicle accompanying the group.

The Highway patrol said that investigators did not know why the truck drifted into the lane before striking the bicyclists and the safety vehicle.

The five cyclists were pronounced dead at the scene. A critically injured cyclist was airlifted to University Medical Center, reported NBC news.

The truck driver, who was not injured, remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigators, said Nevada Highway patrol spokesperson Travis Smaka. The investigation is underway and no charges have been made against the truck driver. The investigators do not believe that the driver was impaired by alcohol or drugs.

The group was on an annual bike ride, making a 130-mile loop into California. This year the group was celebrating the retirement of one of its members.

cyclist
The group of 20 cyclists were accompanied by a safety vehicle on the highway. pixabay

The trip organizer said the riders had split into two groups, reported the New York Times. The strong riders went ahead and the slower riders trailed behind the safety vehicle. The truck slammed into the group that was travelling behind the safety vehicle. “I watched two die in front of me. I have been crying all day,” Michael Anderson said.

The authorities have not released the names of the victims that include four men and a woman.

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak said he was “devastated to hear the news” and expressed his condolences in a statement.

Clay Weeks, a worker at a local bike shop in Las Vegas, said he knew some of the riders in the group. He said the news of crash has devastated the close-knit cycling community.

“It’s a road that typically would be safe,” Weeks said. “The shoulder is plenty wide to ride out there. It’s not a narrow, sketchy road,” he added.

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