GOLDEN, Colo. — Days after somebody plowed through a group of cyclists then sped off, investigators are still trying to track down the drivers.
The crash happened on Lookout Mountain this past Saturday, Dec. 16. Investigators said two different drivers were heading up the hill, driving aggressively, when one of them crashed into the bikes.
Colorado State Patrol is looking for the drivers of a green 2001 Ford Mustang with Colorado plates and a blue 2006 Ford Mustang with Wisconsin plates. CPS said both drivers were heading into a curve when the driver of the green Mustang decided to pass the blue Mustang and collided with a group of cyclists. Both of the drivers then left the scene.
Although the green Mustang is the only vehicle that collided with the cyclists, investigators are looking for any identifying information about both drivers. Anyone with information can call investigators at 303-239-4501 — the reference case is #1A233542.
Mike Lee and Zach Bingham identified themselves as two of the cyclists in that group. The pair were riding together, descending Lookout Mountain Saturday afternoon when a third cyclist friend, David Keating, passed them coming down the hill.
“We were coming down, entering the lower switchbacks on Lookout. And David was maybe two seconds in front of me as we were coming into a turn,” Lee remembered. “I heard an engine rev, and I saw a green Mustang come from behind a blue Mustang. So the green Mustang entered our lane and turned at the same time we did. It was not even a second.”
Lee said the Mustang hit Keating first, then hit him just seconds later.
“I found myself on the trunk of the car as he was coming out of a turn. I remember thinking, 'Should I grab onto the spoiler? Surely this guy’s about to stop.' And the driver stepped on the gas, and it threw me off the back of the car. I hit the ground and tumbled at that point," Lee said.
“I knew it was our group that got hit,” Bingham recalled, from his view in the back of the group.
“Before I could even process what I saw – boom. Another rider gets hit. Right in front of me, which was Mike. I didn’t realize who was who at the time," Bingham said. "Then the instant after that, the car accelerated out of the turn directly at me. I realized I was in danger.”
Bingham had just enough time to swerve, and bail off the bike before the vehicle could hit him, too. He was uninjured. Lee was injured, but able to walk away from the crash.
“Nothing is broken, a lot of bruising, a lot of road rash,” he said.
Keating survived, but remains in the ICU with multiple injuries. Friends say he suffered a head injury, fractures to his neck and spine and a broken leg. It's unclear how long he’ll remain hospitalized, but family friends say he’ll certainly miss Christmas with his family.
“I don’t understand how someone can be so aggressive and drive not only into cyclists, but through them, and be gone like that,” Bingham said. “It's real frustrating. And it's been four, five days — David’s been in the hospital suffering this whole time. It's heart-wrenching.”
Friends and the great Colorado cycling community are raising money to cover hospital expenses and family needs while Keating is out of work.
Lee said he and Keating both work in the advertising industry and are part of a larger group of cyclists that frequently get together for morning rides. They call themselves the “World Famous Ad Ride.” All the men are regular riders of Lookout Mountain and familiar with the route, which they say was very busy Saturday afternoon.
They said various other cyclists quickly came to their aid: one threw their own bike at the suspect vehicle speeding away, hoping to stop it. Another cyclist, who happened to be an EMT, stopped to help render medical aid to Keating.
"We’ve all been stuck in traffic, frustrated on the road. I get,” Lee said. “I think people forget that people on bikes are people — moms, dads, brothers, sisters. And we don’t have any protection.”
"We’re really vulnerable out there. It’s scary, really scary being out there on roads,” Lee said.
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