One cyclist is dead and seven were taken to hospitals, fire officials say, in a crash Saturday morning in eastern Holly Springs.
As many as 20 bicyclists were injured in the crash. Seven were seriously injured and taken to several local hospitals, including WakeMed Raleigh, WakeMed Cary and UNC Health Holly Springs, according to The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner ABC 11. The 13 cyclists with less serious injuries were taken by a Wake County EMS bus for treatment, according to CBS 17.
Optimist Farm Road in Holly Springs was closed until early afternoon.
The incident happened at around 9:40 a.m. Saturday when a black Nissan Infiniti travelling one direction on Optimist Farm Road crossed the center line and struck multiple riders in a group of about 30 bicyclists traveling the opposite direction.
Officials said the cyclists were headed downhill on a curved part of road when the car hit them. ABC11, the N&O’s newsgathering partner, reported that the driver continued on for a half mile after the collision before crashing into a ditch.
The driver was identified as 76-year-old Donald Robert Morris-Jones of Apex, according to ABC 11. According to the station, Morris-Jones is charged with one count of driving while impaired, one count of driving left of center, one count of reckless driving, eight counts of felony hit-and-run involving serious injury or death, seven counts of felony serious injury by vehicle and one count of felony death by vehicle.
Patrick Turner a 63-year-old from Cary, was the cyclist who died at the scene, according to WRAL.
The N&O attempted to contact highway patrol officials for more information via phone and email on Saturday but did not receive a response.
A cycling club
The cyclists were part of Capital Cycling Club, based in Cary, according to ABC 11.
The club, which claims to be among the oldest of its kind in the state, does regular Wednesday and Saturday rides, according to its website.
It has three separate Saturday bike rides — all using a similar route — running in a loop from Apex to Angier and back. Two, using the same route, total at nearly 70 miles.
Capital Cycling Club regularly rides the 70-mile route on Saturdays that crosses over Optimist Farm Road for about 2 miles from Pierce Olive Road to Bells Lake Road. The accident happened in the area of Talicud Trail on Optimist Farm Road.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story was originally published November 7, 2026 at 11:57 AM.
Source: www.newsobserver.com
