BRANCH COUNTY, Mich. — A bicycle rider suffered serious injuries when his bike was hit by a car Saturday afternoon in Algansee Township.
At 3:10 p.m. Saturday, the Branch County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a car-bicycle accident with injuries at the intersection of Fisher and Stringtown roads in Algansee Township. While deputies were en route, Branch County Central Dispatch received information from an eyewitness following a Jeep Wrangler that had fled the scene of the accident.
Deputies and Michigan State Police troopers searched for the Jeep after the eyewitness lost sight of the vehicle in southeastern Branch County. The Jeep was located southbound on Interstate 69 south of U.S. 20 by Angola (Ind.) police and Steuben County (Ind.) Sheriff’s Department deputies.
The 40-year-old female driver from Auburn, Ind., was arrested for driving while intoxicated and is being held in the Steuben County Jail.
The investigation shows that the woman was westbound on Fisher near Stringtown when she struck westbound bicyclist Scott Elliott, 44, of Adrian.
Deputies say erratic driving and alcohol use by the driver were contributing factors to the crash.
Elliott sustained life-threatening injuries and was flown from the scene by AirCare to Bronson Hospital where no condition report was available Sunday.
Branch County deputies said they will be requesting felony charges from the Branch County Prosecutor’s Office for the driver.
