Cyclist recovering after hit-and-run in Winter Garden says his helmet saved his life
WINTER GARDEN, Fla. —
A 29-year-old Winter Garden man says his helmet saved his life after he was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle in Winter Springs early Thursday morning. The driver fled the scene.
Josh Lackey exclusively told WESH 2 News he is still recovering from the hit-and-run, which left him with injuries to his arms, knees and hands, as well as a broken nose and a concussion.
“I definitely am dealing with post-concussion symptoms,” Lackey said.
The crash destroyed the back wheel of his bike, leaving it in pieces.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Lackey was traveling in the bike lane Thursday, Sept. 17, on Tuskawilla Road just south of Windwillow Circle around 6 a.m. when the front of a vehicle hit him and left the scene.
“The car and I were traveling the same direction, and the car was behind me and either didn’t see me, regardless of having lights on the front and back of my bike, or just disregarded me and hit the back wheel,” Lackey said.
He said he remembers very little about what happened next.
“From what the FHP trooper told me, I was just, like, lying in the road for a little bit,” Lackey said.
While Lackey works to heal, troopers are searching for the driver, though they currently have no vehicle description.
“I’ve heard the statistics about finding hit-and-run drivers and solving those kinds of cases, but it’s hard to really be intimately involved with that now,” Lackey said.
Through it all, Lackey said one thing made the difference in saving his life: his helmet.
“The reason that I am the way I am today is because I’m wearing a helmet,” Lackey said. “The fact that I don’t have further brain damage, the fact I’m not in a hospital right now, is definitely all a testament to that.”
Anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to contact the Florida Highway Patrol or Crimeline.