Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – A bicyclist riding southbound in the crosswalk across 20th Street at 8th Avenue was reportedly struck by a man driving a brown, two-door GMC Jimmy on Tuesday, April 9.
The bicyclist told an officer that the collision knocked him off his bike and onto the hood of the vehicle but that he was not injured. The bicycle didn’t fare as well and the pedals and gears were broken, leaving it unrideable.
The reporting party said after the collision the driver of the GMC didn’t stop to see if he was injured or to check for any damage and just left.
The officer patrolled the area and later came upon a vehicle matching the description of the suspect GMC parked in a driveway on Tucson Street. Inside the vehicle, a man identified as Eddie Sanchez was found lying down in the passenger seat.
Sanchez allegedly admitted to driving the GMC during the collision and said he didn’t see the bicyclist. The officer conducted a variety of field sobriety tests on Sanchez but he didn’t show any signs of impairment.
When asked why he didn’t stop, Sanchez allegedly said because the bicyclist looked like he wasn’t injured.
At that time, County Dispatch informed the officer that Sanchez’s license had been revoked. The officer then issued a citation to Sanchez for driving on a suspended license and for leaving the scene of an accident.
