ST. GEORGE — A bicycle rider was struck and killed Wednesday afternoon when an SUV drifted off the roadway a few miles north of Hatch in Southern Utah.
Update Oct. 5, 10 a.m. The Utah Highway Patrol has identified the cyclist who was killed as 27-year-old Tyler Droeger, of Manawa Wisconsin.
Shortly before 3 p.m., Utah Highway Patrol troopers and emergency personnel were dispatched to a crash on U.S. Route 89 near mile marker 117, just south of Panguitch in Garfield County, involving a black 2012 Subaru Forester and a bicycle rider.
According to a news release issued by UHP, the Subaru was traveling north when it drifted off the road to the right and struck a cyclist riding along the northbound shoulder.
The impact sent the SUV into a ravine, where it rolled and came to rest with the driver’s side down. The rider, who was thrown from the bicycle upon impact, landed at the bottom of the same ravine.
The man riding the bicycle was pronounced dead at the scene, UHP said, while the driver of the Subaru sustained minor injuries.
The investigation is ongoing and being handled by UHP and the State Bureau of Investigation. The name of the cyclist has not yet been released.
There were partial lane closures for approximately one hour following the crash, according to the Utah Department of Transportation.
This report is based on statements from police and may not contain the full scope of findings and will be updated as information becomes available.
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