INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man captured a terrifying moment on camera as he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle on the near east side of Indianapolis.
Jakob Morales was riding on Brookside Parkway South Drive, near North Rural and 10th streets, around 7 p.m. Sept. 11 when he was hit by a gold Chevrolet.
"They started their turn way over there. By the time I realized what was happening, I was right in their line of travel. They didn't have a front headlight, so I didn't know what was happening. I ended up on their front windshield," Morales said.
He shattered that windshield and rolled off the side of the car and somehow landed on his feet.
"It was a lot of fear, you could see it in my face. I was scared and bracing for impact," Morales said.
To his shock and disbelief, Morales said the driver never slowed down or stopped to see if he was OK.
"They just kept going right down the street. At the end of the street they actually stopped. A door opened maybe they were assessing for damages. I was pleading for them to do the right thing but they drove away. This person just did this to me, and did not care at all to look where they were going. They could have killed me," Morales said.
As a frequent rider, Morales said he has had many close calls on the road.
Pedestrians and cyclists getting hit by cars has become a growing problem in Indiana. Just last month, there were more than 100 pedestrians hit by drivers in Indianapolis — seven of those people died.
Morales said more needs to be done.
"The crash that happened here was completely preventable. It's going to take dedicated funding to make sure we design roads safely," Morales said.
He's hoping someone will recognize the driver and turn them in. If not, he hopes the driver will at least drive safer.
"Everybody has a family. We are all pedestrians at some part of our day. We need to have that reflected in the way we drive," Morales said.
The City-County Council recently approved "Vision Zero," a plan to eliminate all pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in the city by 2035.