Cyclist, 14, struck by SUV

A 14-year-old bicyclist who’d just wished his friend a happy birthday was struck by a sport utility vehicle Wednesday as he rushed home for basketball practice.

The boy, whose name has not been released, was taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center for a possible broken leg. His injuries were not considered life threatening.

“He was awake and talking when he was transported,” said Officer Jonathan Hickory of the Albemarle County Police Department’s traffic unit.

Hickory said the boy would be charged with failing to stop before entering a highway from a private road.

The motorist will not be charged, Hickory said.

The driver hit the brakes before hitting the boy, but the boy had unexpectedly darted into Four Seasons Drive at an estimated 20 mph, police said. The driver had little time to respond.

“She didn’t see him and he didn’t see her,” one witness said.

The boy was thrown onto the hood of the white SUV and landed in the grass on the side of the road. His bicycle was slightly damaged, its front tire and seat bent out of shape.

The boy was in a rush, witnesses said, because he was trying to get home to go to basketball practice. The incident occurred just before 4 p.m.

“He’d just come over to my house to wish me a happy birthday,” 14-year-old Jazmen Williams said.

The victim, she said, is a friend and classmate who will attend Albemarle High School as a freshman in the fall.