At around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, a blue Chevy pickup truck plowed through a group of bicyclists near Kalamazoo, Mich., killing five and sending four to the hospital.

Details are scarce as of early Wednesday morning.

Two of the victims whose conditions are unknown were sent to Bronson Methodist Hospital and two were sent to the Borgess Medical Center, where one is in critical condition and the other is stable, WOTV reported. No children are among the victims, and no names are being released at this time.

Police had been notified that the driver, who Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said during a press conference is a 50-year-old male from western Michigan, was driving erratically at least 30 minutes before the accident. The City of Kalamazoo police, the sheriff’s department and the Kalamazoo Township police all received concerned calls about the blue truck, but none found it before it crashed into the group of bicyclists.

The bicyclists were on their weekly ride and had just reached the 5500 block of Westnedge Avenue in Cooper Township, just north of Kalamazoo. Markus Eberhard was leaving the nearby Markin Glen Park after a day of fishing when he heard someone yell, “watch out” as the pickup rumbled by him, almost smashing his foot under its tires. Surprised, he looked up and saw the bikers in the truck’s path.

Before he could “tell the bikers to move or watch out,” it struck the group.

“I saw a bunch of bikes hit the front of his truck and a couple of them flew,” Eberhard told WOTV.

Anika Kruger, another witness, heard the crash.

“All I heard was a pop and a really big crash noise,” Kruger told the station. “We didn’t see anyone walk away.”

Added Kruger, “I pray for these families. I really do.”

The truck sustained heavy front-end damage, and a bicycle jammed under its wheels, disabling it. The driver hopped out and fled on foot but was arrested a short distance away. He is currently in custody.

Paul Selden, the Director of Road Safety for the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club, offered the following statement to WWMT:

“I know from working closely with area leadership that we are working to make our community even more bicycle friendly. This senseless tragedy – in my memory, the worst of its kind in Kalamazoo County, and possibly in the entire State of Michigan – underscores that we can do much more. Motorists and bicyclists need to share the road safely throughout the year, but especially during peak bicycling season.”

Anyone wishing to donate to the victims of the crash and their families can do so through the Kalamazoo Strong Organization’s website, which has set up a fund.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 726 cyclists and 4,884 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2014.

Getting said he doesn’t expect to review the police reports before Thursday, at which point a determination of charges will likely be made. See the press conference below:

 

(c) 2016, The Washington Post · Travis M. Andrews · NATIONAL, COURTSLAW · Jun 08, 2016 – 4:41 AM