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Bicyclist killed by car
Sedan crossed highway before collision
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
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St. Mary's sheriff's deputies are trying to determine why a Virginia man drove across the centerline of Route 235 last Saturday afternoon and struck an oncoming bicycle on the highway's shoulder, killing its rider.
Hugo Gonzalez, 44, of St. Leonard was cycling south alongside the southbound lane of the highway toward Park Hall Road when the collision occurred at about 2:44 p.m., according to the St. Mary's law officers.
A northbound Mazda car driven by 47-year-old Royal Kessick III of Richmond, Va., crossed the southbound lane of the highway and struck the bicycle on the southbound shoulder, the sheriff's office reports. Gonzalez, who was wearing a bicycle helmet, was thrown from the bicycle to an adjacent grassy area, and he died from his injuries.
The car hit a tree and overturned before landing on its wheels, the sheriff's office reports, and a helicopter crew flew Kessick to the Washington Hospital Center. A hospital employee said Monday that Kessick has been discharged from the facility.
Sheriff's spokesperson Cindy Allen said Monday that Kessick's failure to drive on the right side of the road is so far the only contributing circumstance in the accident developed through the ongoing investigation. No contributing circumstances regarding Gonzalez's operation of the bicycle have been found.
The preliminary investigation indicated that alcohol was not a contributing factor in the accident, according to the sheriff's office.
The sheriff's office has requested that anyone witnessing the accident call deputy Timothy Reese at 301-475-4200, Ext. 9115.
