1 killed, 22 injured after elderly driver suspected to be impaired strikes cyclists in North Carolina, officials say

By Sydney Bishop, CNN

(CNN) — At least one person is dead and 22 others were injured when an elderly driver struck a group of cyclists in Wake County, North Carolina, shortly after 9:30 a.m. Saturday, according to authorities. The vehicle crossed the center line before traveling away from the scene and running off the roadway, colliding with a ditch, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said.

Seven people were taken to trauma centers, and 15 others were sent to local hospitals with injuries, Chief LeRoy Smith of the Holly Springs Fire Department told CNN.

The driver was identified by the highway patrol as 76-year-old Donald Robert Morris-Jones of Apex, North Carolina. He is currently in custody awaiting charges, the agency said, with “impairment” being a suspected factor in the crash.

Video following the collision appears to show it took place in a wooded area on a winding, two-lane road flanked by trees. Law enforcement could be seen inspecting a stack of bikes propped up against a guardrail as some cyclists remained at the scene, one walking around with a phone to his ear, still wearing his helmet.

The crash occurred about 14 miles southwest of Raleigh.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Nic F. Anderson and Jim Rogers contributed to this report.