One cyclist died and 20 others suffered injuries when a car driver crossed the center line and struck a group of approximately 30 riders on a Saturday morning bike ride in Wake County.
The collision occurred at about 9:40 a.m. on November 7, 2026, along Optimist Farm Road near Talicud Trail, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. A black Infiniti traveling east crossed the center line into oncoming traffic, striking the group of cyclists who were riding westward with the Capital Cycling Club. The impact threw riders along a winding, wooded section of the two-lane road just south of the NC 540 Toll highway.
Driver Charged After Crash
After striking the bicyclists, the driver continued down the road for about a half-mile, crossed back over the lane, and crashed his vehicle into a ditch, State Highway Patrol troopers said, according to CBS News. State Highway Patrol troopers said the driver stumbled out of the wrecked car.
The driver, identified as 76-year-old Donald Robert Morris-Jones of Apex, was taken into custody at the scene. He is being held at the Wake County Detention Center under a $1 million secured bond.
Morris-Jones faces more than a dozen felony charges, including one count of felony death by vehicle, seven counts of felony serious injury by vehicle, eight counts of felony hit-and-run involving serious injury or death, driving while impaired, reckless driving, and driving left of center, according to state troopers. Court records show he is scheduled to appear in court on Monday afternoon.
Victims Treated at Hospitals
First responders arrived to find a mass casualty scene with multiple trauma victims. Patrick Allen Turner, 63, of Cary, died at the scene from his injuries, authorities confirmed.
Holly Springs Fire Chief LeRoy Smith told reporters that seven cyclists sustained major injuries and were transported to regional trauma centers, including WakeMed Raleigh, WakeMed Cary, and UNC Health Holly Springs. An additional 13 riders with minor injuries were treated and transported from the scene aboard a Wake County EMS bus.
We had seven traumas, one fatality and about 13 minor injuries that are being treated and transported now,
Chief LeRoy Smith, Holly Springs Fire Department
Emergency radio traffic from the scene described a chaotic environment as crews triaged the wounded riders, whose injuries included a leg injury, injury to ribs and a cut arm, according to arrest warrants cited by WRAL.
Cyclists Affected by Tragedy
The Capital Cycling Club is an established group known for organized weekend rides across the Triangle region, frequently running 70-mile loops between Apex and Angier. Members of the local cycling network expressed profound grief following Saturday’s events.
When cyclists come together and they ride in a group like this, they are a group of serious civic athletes who are riding with the best intentions — for safety and for a collective experience. And it’s a real tragedy on a beautiful weather day like this that we’ve lost lives.
Shaun King, board chair of Bike Durham
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