A cyclist participating in the 12th Bike, Blues and Bayou gran fondo was hit and killer by a truck in Illa Bena, Mississippi, USA early Saturday morning.
The 50 year-old rider, James L. O’Daniel of Clinton, Mississippi, apparently ignored Mississippi State Police officers, crossing through an an intersection and directly into the path of a truck traveling at high speed on US Highway 81.
Mississippi State Police officers were stationed at the intersection to provide traffic control for the event and were in the process of stopping traffic on US 81 to let a group of stopped riders cross the highway.
Police report O’Daniel may have been wearing headphones when he ignored officer warnings and continued into the intersection before all traffic was stopped.
The driver of the truck was not injured and no charges have been filed.
Bikes, Blues and Bayou is Mississippi’s largest cycling event, starting and finishing in Greenwood, it attracts over 1000 riders every year.
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