At approximately 9 p.m. on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, the Pinellas Park Police Department responded to the 9500 block of US Highway 19 N for reports of a crash involving a bicyclist.
According to investigators, the bicyclist was traveling northbound on US Highway 19 N on the east side of the roadway, as they approached the off-ramp for 49th Street N.
The operator of a 2011 Black Chevrolet Impala, was also traveling northbound on US Highway 19 N when they made a sudden lane change to access the ramp for the 49th Street N exit. While making the sudden lane change, the front of the vehicle struck the bicyclist.
The driver of the vehicle fled the scene and was located a short time later by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
The driver of the vehicle was identified as 36-year-old Olajuwon Simmons and was arrested for Driving with a Suspended License and Leaving the Scene of a Crash with Serious Bodily Injury.
The bicyclist was transported to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg in critical but stable condition.
Booking photo not yet available.