San Jose Hit-and-Run: Friend Says Bicyclist Was ‘Left for Dead'

A San Jose bicyclist is hospitalized and the search is on for a hit-and-run driver who severely injured him.

The incident happened on Almaden Expressway on Friday. The cyclist’s friends are now asking for the public’s help in finding the person who hit him.

Friends and family said everyone originally thought the collision was just an accident involving cyclists, but after seeing Rickey Soto Fogle’s bike and realizing the extent of his injuries, it became very clear to them this was a crime.

“This is someone who left Rickey for dead,” said Dave Nelson, one of the bicyclists who was riding with Fogle on Friday.

Fogle and Nelson were part of a group of more than 20 cyclists riding together. The group said at times Fogle veers away from the group’s planned route, but they realized something was wrong when he did not meet up after the ride.

The bicyclists later learned Fogle had been rushed to Valley Medical Center, where he was being treated for four broken ribs, punctured lungs, fractures to his pelvis, arm and leg, and a neck and spine injury.

It did not take long for his friends to figure out this was not a bike crash, it was a crime. And it was eerily similar to something a fellow group member faced 12 years ago.

Nelson said his wife also had a catastrophic hit in 2009 and it took them four years to put the driver in jail.

“This is disregard for human life,” he said.

Nelson’s wife, Ashley Nelson, adds the driver “left me, on the side of the road. I had a catastrophic, traumatic brain injury. I was not expected to make it through the night or walk again.”

Ashley Nelson had not touched a bike for 12 years. When she finally decided it was time to ride again, Fogle was there.

“I feel very strongly that I need to advocate and help for Rickey,” she said. “I just started riding again, and I met Rickey and we would ride together.”

A GoFundMe to help with Fogle’s medical expenses has already exceeded its goal of $10,000. But the real goal for the Nelsons is to find more information about the driver who hit their friend, so they can get them off the street.

Source: NBC Bay Area