SAN ANTONIO, Texas – A crash that left a bicyclist hurt early Wednesday morning didn’t exactly come as a surprise to some people who live in the Southwest Side neighborhood where it happened.
They say speeding cars, increased traffic and a somewhat blind curve have made their once-quiet street a more dangerous place.
The crash, which happened at some time before 3 a.m. in the 3300 block of Fairmeadows, sent a man on a bicycle to a hospital.
The 54-year-old told San Antonio police he was delivering meals in the area one minute, then the next, everything went black.
He woke up at some point later, in pain.
Nearby, his bicycle sat mangled among the scattered trays of pre-packaged, ready-to-eat meals that he was carrying.
Alfredo Alvarez, Jr., meanwhile, was awakened by his dogs who heard the commotion.
“They were barking, barking,” he said. “I go, ‘You know what? I better go check.’ So then when I checked, all of a sudden I saw the fire truck in front. I saw police cars.”
It wasn’t until daylight that Alvarez found out what happened.
Spray-painted markings in the middle of the street helped to flesh out some of the details for him.
Police say someone else in the neighborhood told them the vehicle that hit the cyclist and kept going was a gray-colored SUV.
Investigators remained at the scene to collect evidence from the crash.
As of mid-morning, they still had not tracked down that driver.
Alvarez and others in the neighborhood say they feared that something like this might happen.
Their once-quiet street recently has become a thoroughfare for drivers who are traveling to some newer businesses nearby, often exceeding the speed limit.
“It’s pretty busy now,” said Alvarez.
However, he admits that speeding drivers are not the only problem.
“Even if he had lights and stuff, it’s a dark street. It’s hard to see people and especially around that curve right there,” Alvarez said.
Still, he said none of that is an excuse for a driver to keep going after hitting someone.
Alvarez says he hopes police quickly track down that person.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the San Antonio Police Department’s Traffic Investigations Detail at 210-207-7385.