Late night hit-and-run leaves avid cyclist in coma; WSP searching for driver



SPANAWAY -- Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who allegedly put an avid cyclist in a coma Wednesday night.

Family members of Terry Kelley say he was riding along Highway 7  --the Mountain Highway -- near 224th Street East late at night when he was hit by a driver.

It's a route the victim took many times before. But on this night, family members say someone hit him and kept going. The collision left him in a coma, breathing with the help of a ventilator.

"Right now he has bleeding on his brain," the victim's girlfriend Teresa Kinsley said. "He's got brain damage on his left side that has paralyzed his right side. He just went into surgery yesterday to repair his him that was totally crushed. He has broken ribs and pneumonia now,”

Kelly is a seasoned cyclist,  but friends say he never wore a helmet. The impact was so violent that it destroyed Kelley’s bike.

"His bike was crumbled into basically a ball and that's what got whoever found him to stop and actually look and that's when they found him lying there,” Kinsley said.

The Washington State Patrol says it is just now learning about this crime.

They describe it as a 'felony' hit and run and say if the driver can be found and evidence can be collected he or she will be charged.

For now, the family is just hoping for a complete recovery. Then a swift arrest.

"It's heartbreaking. When I first saw him I couldn't believe it. I tell him all the time. He's the other half to my heart and your heart can't beat unless there are two halves and without him my heart is not complete,” Kinsley said.

If you saw this crash or know anything about it should call 911.