Cyclist recovering after being hit by pickup truck in Burlington County, New Jersey: "I'm very grateful to be here"
A South Jersey cyclist is recovering after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Burlington County.
"For getting hit by a truck, it's only some bruises here, a cut here, some road rash here and on my arms," said Patrick Allen, who considers himself lucky.
Allen is on the mend after suffering a concussion and other minor injuries after being hit by a pickup truck while riding his bicycle.
"I don't remember the incident, I remember waking up in the hospital... I didn't know what day it was," he said.
It happened on July 18 around 5:30 p.m. near the intersection of Medford Lakes and Oak Shade roads in Tabernacle, near the Medford line.
The 27-year-old says he was in the bike lane at the time, training for a 160-mile bike-a-thon for cancer research. He's riding in memory of his dad.
"Me and my family, we do it every year. My father had cancer, and he passed last November. So this is the first year it's going to be in his memory," Allen said.
Josh Duvall lives near the intersection and raced over to help Allen, who was bleeding on the ground.
"It sounded like an actual car accident," said Duvall, who helped get Allen and his bike off the road.
Duvall said the driver stopped for a moment and then took off.
"It was very clearly that you hit a human being on a bike and sped away, like peeled out," he said. "You could hear the tires screeching... saw the back of the vehicle."
New Jersey State Police are investigating the crash.
Allen is now asking homeowners in the area to review their security cameras in the hopes of finding the driver responsible. Signs are marked, alerting drivers to share the road, and several roadside memorials remind Allen it could have been much worse.
"I'm very grateful to be here, truck versus bike, it usually ends one way, but I was fortunate enough to walk away from it," Allen said.
Allen is still healing, but he's determined to continue his training and complete the race in two weeks in memory of his dad.
Anyone with information about the crash is urged to call the New Jersey State Police.
