Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Wichita police are counting on help from the public to help them track down a driver responsible for a hit and run with a bicycle over the weekend. The accident leaves a man in critical condition.

Linda Pete says her 54-year-old brother, Albert, rode his bike all the time.

"He gets on that bike and goes everywhere. He's always all over town on that bicycle," she said.

Surveillance video from a local business shows Pete biking along S. Hydraulic just before two a.m. Sunday. An SUV crashed into him and then kept on going.

The impact threw Pete to the ground, causing head injuries. He's been in the hospital in critical condition ever since. His family simply can't believe the driver didn't stop.

"I was shocked," said Pete. "I can't believe somebody would just leave and not see if he was okay."

While police say the video did not offer any new clues, witnesses say the vehicle that hit Pete was a dark-colored SUV, possibly a GMC. Police say it likely now has front end damage or a broken headlight. Anyone who sees a SUV matching that description should call police.

And with that information out in the public, Pete's family hopes the case will soon be solved.

"I hope they can find who did it. I hope they will come forward and just face what they have done," said Pete.