KSHB-TV 41 has a report and video of bicyclist hospitalized after a nasty crash with and SUV at Independence and Brooklyn Avenues in the Old Northeast.  There are conflicting reports on the circumstances of the crash, and an investigation is underway.

Jul 14, 2007 9:37 PM
SUV and bicyclist collide in Kansas City
Posted By: Almitra Smith

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A bicyclist is in critical condition after a Sport Utility Vehicle struck him.

The accident happened about 2:20 p.m. at Independence and Brooklyn Avenues. Officials say the man was headed south on Brooklyn as a woman in a white Toyota four-wheel drive vehicle was headed west on Independence when they collided.

Witnesses say the man’s body was thrown at least six feet in the air over the SUV. The frame of the bicycle is now mangled and bent, while its red paint scars the broken front grill of the SUV.

The bicyclist is described as a man in his 30s. He has been taken to an area hospital.

There are conflicting accounts about the accident. One witness tells NBC Action News it appeared the SUV driver was a fault. Yet, police say other witnesses report that the driver had a green light and that the bicyclist may have been crossing on a red light.

A police investigator says other witnesses described seeing the bicyclist having trouble keeping the bike balanced while in the road and that he may have been impaired. That information has not been confirmed.

Complicating matters, police say the woman driving the SUV speaks broken English. They are bringing in a translator to assist in getting her story.

Traffic along Independence Avenue is being diverted around the accident scene until accident reconstruction crews complete their investigation.