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The family of a local cyclist believes he was the victim of a hit-and-run

Posted at 11:54 AM, Aug 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-02 18:19:26-04

TULSA -- The family of a local cyclist believes he could have been the victim of a hit-and-run.

They say 60-year-old Neil Erickson suffered serious injuries Saturday morning in Creek County. He left early from Jenks' Riverwalk with a group of about 20 riders from Tulsa's Young Life Cycling Team.

One of the riders in the group, Kristy Hursch, says Erickson decided to turn back and go home early.

"He rides solo home often from the rides and basically we're not exactly sure. He was found in the middle of the road," says Kristy Hursch.

She says he was found unconscious near 111th Street and 33rd West Avenue. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital where his family says he remains in intensive care.

Hursch says Erickson rode for 34 miles that morning. She says he was wearing a helmet and can't explain how something this serious could have happened.

"He had a concussion. He has seven staples in his head. He broke pretty much all the bones on the left side of his body," says Hursch.

Erickson is a father of two and an architect in Tulsa. His loved ones have created a GoFundMe page to help with medical expenses.

"The cycling community has come together amazingly well. We've had people not just in Young Life but other cycling groups, and everybody wants to help," says Hursch.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol confirms it will start an investigation into the incident.

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