Road where 3 bicyclists were injured not 'bicycle-friendly'
A driver of a minivan who reportedly struck three bicyclists in rural Dallas County has not been charged as of late Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
The accident happened around 7:45 p.m. when 36-year-old Renae Deaver, of Dallas Center, was southbound on R-22, about a mile from Highway 44, when she came up from behind and hit the cyclists, according to an Iowa State Patrol crash report.
Todd Bindel, 36, of West Des Moines, Brian Terhark, 49, of Clive, and Chad Roethler, 45, of Urbandale, were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment of their injuries following the crash.
Bindel and Terhark remain in fair and stable conditions, respectively, and Roethler was treated and released.
Dallas County resident Robert Findlay said he isn’t used to bicycle traffic near his house, which was near the crash site where “five or six emergency vehicles” swarmed the scene.
The driver told authorities she didn’t see the three riders when she hit them. They all landed in a nearby ditch.
Though the crash remains under investigation, state troopers said alcohol does not appear to be a factor.
The county road is “not very bicycle-friendly,” Findlay said. “It’s narrow, the edge of the road is rough, and there’s no bike lanes on it.”
All three bicyclists were wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, according to the report.