WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) — A Wake County man faces multiple felony charges after authorities say he struck a group of bicyclists Saturday morning, killing one person and injuring several others. Just after 9:30 a.m., the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) responded to a crash involving a vehicle and several cyclists on Optimist Farm Road near Talicud Trail. According to state troopers, the driver was traveling on Optimist Farm Road when he crashed into a group of approximately 30 cyclists traveling with the Capital Cycling Club. The man drove away from the scene, ran off the left side of the road and crashed into a ditch about a half mile from where the cyclists were hit. Nearly a dozen other cyclists were injured, with injuries ranging from minor to serious. They were taken to several area hospitals, including WakeMed Raleigh, WakeMed Cary and UNC Health Holly Springs. Chief LeRoy Smith of the Holly Springs Fire Department described the scene to ABC11 Saturday morning. “We had seven traumas, one death and about 13 minor injuries that are being treated and transported now,” he said. Authorities identified the cyclist who died in the crash as Patrick Turner. Shaun King, president of Bike Durham’s board of directors, said he first heard about the accident. through messages from concerned friends and family. “This morning when my wife started getting messages saying, ‘Are you okay? Are you hurt?’ “We rushed to find out what was going on,” King said. King said cyclists across the region were deeply affected by the accident. “We feel very vulnerable right now because this harm that members of our CCC community are feeling right now could have happened to any of us,” she said. He explained how cyclists often ride in organized formations designed to improve safety for both cyclists and motorists. It happens to us in a short period of time when they’re on the other line,” King said. Chief Smith urged motorists to be aware of cyclists on the road. “Keep in mind, you know, people who ride bikes, they have a right to be on the road too, so yield and be cautious when around cyclists,” Smith said. King also called for additional measures to improve safety, including better road signage and public education efforts. “We could have better signage on the roads that, for example, said, ‘share the road with cyclists’, or ‘keep an eye out for this blind bend’. ‘Pass safely.’ And there are so many educational opportunities that we could move forward with together if we had a better policy,” King said. Investigators said impairment is suspected to be a factor in the crash. Donald Robert Morris-Jones, 76, of Apex, is in custody and faces several charges, NCSHP said. Morris-Jones is charged with one count of driving while intoxicated, one count of driving left of center, one count of reckless driving, eight counts of felony hit and run which involves serious injury or death, seven counts of felony serious injury by vehicle and one count of felony death by vehicle. He is being held on $1 million bail. Download the ABC11 News AppCopyright © 2026 WTVD-TV.
