Flagstaff cyclist lucky to be alive after being tossed from his bike by passing RV

By Mason Carroll

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    FLAGSTAFF, Arizona (KPHO, KTVK) — Dane Wallace has been cycling his entire life. He’s taken his fair share of falls but he’s never experienced something like this. “I just felt the impact and then I was rolling on the ground for a while,” Wallace said. “It’s just terrifying.”

Saturday, Wallace was biking on Lake Mary Road with a local cycling group, “Team Pay and Take” when he was hit in the head by an RV’s side mirror. His helmet came off, and he then crashed into multiple cyclists behind him, causing a pileup. “I mean, these people are like family,” Wallace said. “You know you ride with them every week. My partner was on the ride as well and she crashed right behind me. So your first thought is just like is everyone OK?”

Wallace said the person driving the RV stopped and cooperated with police, but this is an important reminder to share the road as it’s state law to give cyclists at least 3 feet of space. “I think it’s just a sad point that when we get behind the wheel of a car, we don’t see our fellow humans out there as someone who has someone to go home to after the ride,” Wallace said.

Arizona’s Family reached out to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office to see if the driver was arrested or charged. We are still waiting for a response at this time. In total six people were injured, three taken to the hospital, one had surgery over the weekend, and Wallace has surgery scheduled for Wednesday to repair his scapula.

While scuffed up, Wallace said he’s just thankful to still be here and be able to get back on the bike one day soon. “Just happy and grateful to have come out of this and able to tell the story with a sigh of relief at the end and that’s a luxury a lot of people don’t have when it comes to these types of accidents,” Wallace said.

The cycling group has a GoFundMe to help pay for the medical bills of the cyclists injured in the crash.

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