ALLEN PARK (WWJ) - Charges are pending against a driver who ran over and seriously injured a bicyclist in Allen Park.
Police said it happened at the intersection of the Southfield Service Drive and Outer Drive as the bicyclist was riding home from a grocery store at around 4 p.m. Sunday.
"Basically, he was driven over," Allen Park Police Det. James Thorburn said.
"A vehicle was making the right turn onto Outer Drive from the Southfield Service Drive, and he turned into the crosswalk as the bicycle was going through," he told WWJ's Michigan Cohen. "They basically made contact with each other; and the tires drove over the top of the individual."
Thorburn said the injuries appeared so severe that first responders on the scene thought the bicyclist would need to have one or both of his legs amputated.
"Initially that was our thought by looking at the injuries, because his legs were pretty rough; plain and simple," Thorburn said. "One leg, most of the skin was torn off of it. They call it a degloving, where everything's ripped off."
However, the bicyclist was rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery for a broken femur. Pins were put in, Thorburn said, and the doctors were able to save the man's leg. "Short of an infection or anything else, he'll be fine," the detective added.
Thorburn said police have submitted a warrant request for charges against the driver, who is considered at fault.
"Although he had the green light the driver had to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk, and he failed to do so," Thorburn said.
As the driver told police that he didn't see the biker, Thorburn said this should serve as a reminder for everyone to keep their eyes on the road and off their phones and devices.
The driver's name is being withheld until formal charges are filed. Thorburn said that is expected to happen either later Monday, or on Tuesday.