Bicyclist flown to Renown after being struck by utility truck

A 25-year-old man riding a bicycle was flown to Renown Medical Center in Reno early Tuesday morning after being hit by a utility truck, South Lake Tahoe police report.

The bicyclist, Donovan Boling, sustained significant injuries in the accident, reported at 2:45 a.m. in the area of Wildwood Avenue in South Lake Tahoe. The 29-year-old driver of the truck told South Lake Tahoe police that he didn't see the bicyclist when the accident happened. The bicyclist was reported to not being wearing a helmet.

Below is a news release issued from Lt. Brian Williams of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

At about 2:45 a.m. Tuesday, the driver of a one-ton flatbed utility truck called 911 to report that he had just been involved in a collision with a bicyclist in the area of Wildwood Avenue in South Lake Tahoe. The 29-year-old driver, a resident of Visalia, Calif., works for a company which has been contracted to assist with the on-going road work on U.S. Highway 50.

The driver’s name is not currently being released due to investigative reasons. The driver reported that he had been traveling east on U.S. Highway 50 in the No. 2 lane at about 25mph and never saw the bicyclist. He immediately stopped his vehicle when he felt an impact. He then saw the damaged bicycle and the injured bicyclist lying on the south side of the highway, in the area of the newly re-dedicated children’s memorial tree east of Wildwood Avenue.

The bicyclist, 25-year-old Donovan Boling, sustained significant injuries in the collision and was air lifted to Reno for medical treatment. Due to his condition, Boling was unable to provide any statement. It appears the cyclist had not been wearing a helmet.

He wore a gray tank top over a white t-shirt, black pants and black shoes. The bicycle had no headlamp and no reflectors anywhere except for a single red reflector facing rearward under the seat. Evidence reveals the bicyclist was struck with the right front area of the utility truck. The driver did not know in which direction the bicycle had been traveling prior to impact. The investigation has not yet identified any witnesses to help establish this.

The investigation of this collision is still in progress. No fault or primary collision factor has yet been determined. If anyone witnessed this event or has information which may assist in this investigation, you are encouraged to call the South Lake Tahoe Police Department at 530-542-6100 and request to forward this information to Officer Rebecca Morris, or to Secret Witness at 530-541-6800.