Driver Swerves To Avoid Cyclist, Rolls Vehicle

A 21-year-old Thompsonville man was taken to Munson Medical Center with an arm injury after he swerved to avoid a cyclist and rolled his car Tuesday.

Deputies responded at 1:35pm to the scene of the accident, which occurred at the TART Trail crossing on South Lake Leelanau Drive north of East Lakeview Hills Road. The Thompsonville driver told deputies he was traveling south approaching the TART crossing when a cyclist riding a trike-type bike crossed the road in front of him. The driver swerved and lost control of his vehicle, leaving the east side of the road and sliding down an embankment, rolling over.

The cyclist was a 70-year-old Traverse City man who told deputies that as he was crossing the road, he heard screeching tires, but when he looked back he did not see anything. The man then continued on his way, he said.

Deputies determined that the type of bike the cyclist was riding combined with the slope of the roadway looking north from the TART trail obstructed the cyclist's view of the approaching vehicle. The southbound driver was also traveling at a high rate of speed "well above the 55mph speed limit," according to the Sheriff's Office. Both factors combined to cause the accident, authorities said.

The cyclist was not injured in the accident. The driver was taken to Munson Medical Center for treatment of an arm injury.

Photo credit: Leelanau County Sheriff's Office