Authorities let a 16-year-old pickup driver leave the scene after hitting six cyclists, sending four to the hospital. The incident happened on Saturday, Sept. 25, outside Houston.
“When I pulled up on the scene, I thought I was going to be pulling up to people that were dead,” Chase Ferrell told KPRC News.
On Saturday morning, Ferrell had been training for an IRONMAN with a group of cyclists in Waller County, just northwest of Houston. They were 75 miles into the ride when a black Ford Super Duty truck pulled up alongside and started harassing them by “rolling coal” on them. You’ve seen the move before: The driver of a diesel truck guns the motor, releasing a cloud of black exhaust.
Ferrell said the truck passed the group multiple times. He tried to catch up to it, attempting to get a photo of the license plate or driver. Instead, the truck collided with the group.
“I heard a lot of crunching. I heard brakes. Tires screeching. People screaming,” Ferrell said.
The riders sustained shoulder, back, and neck injuries. First responders transported two to a hospital in Waller. Another two got airlifted to Houston for treatment. Sources report the other two riders refused medical care at the scene.
The driver pulled over to talk to the police, who didn’t arrest him.
KPRC reports that the Waller Police have begun an investigation. But as of the latest updates, the authorities have made no arrests.
“I don’t understand. If it was me who had struck someone else, I would be in jail. I don’t understand how it’s come to this point where there are no consequences this far,” Ferrell said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the cyclists recover.
