A bicyclist was transported to a Chicago area hospital Sunday afternoon after a crash involving a pickup truck in Washington Township in which the bicyclist was struck twice by the vehicle, according to police.
Deputies with the Porter County Sheriff’s Department responded around 2 p.m. April 6 to County Road 600 North and County Road 450 East for a vehicle/bicycle injury crash.
An initial investigation showed the pickup truck and bicyclist were westbound on CR 600 N approaching CR 450 E along the Washington Township/Jackson Township line.
The pickup truck driver went into the left lane to pass the bicyclist at the intersection as the bicyclist turned left onto CR 450 E to travel south. The driver attempted to swerve and avoid the collision but was unable to.
As a result, the pickup truck went into the ditch on the south side of CR 600 N. The pickup truck driver then began to attempt to get out of the ditch by backing up, not knowing the bicyclist was lying in the grass behind his vehicle.
The bicyclist was then struck a second time. The male driver of the pickup truck was 81 years old.
The male bicyclist was transported to a nearby hospital and then flown out to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Police do not have an update on the condition of the bicyclist.