Video shows moment Somerset mayor allegedly hit teen cyclist
The city of Somerset released on Monday video that appears to show an incident last week that resulted in the mayor of the city being cited for leaving the scene of an accident.
Mayor Eddie Girdler’s vehicle allegedly struck a 15-year-old girl on a bicycle Aug. 12 in downtown Somerset just before 7 p.m., according to his citation.
Girdler said the next day that he had “no idea that anything had happened.” He told the Herald-Leader that it was a “close call,” but that the girl and the other cyclists accompanying her left the intersection without saying anything, so he didn’t know anything had occurred.
The citation filed against Girdler said his SUV struck the girl’s hip and the rear tire of the bike. She was taken by her mother to Lake Cumberland Regional Medical Center and later flown to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital.
The video released by the city appears to show a Chevrolet Tahoe come to an abrupt stop as a bicycle is ridden in front of it. The video also appears to show the person riding bicycle continue through the intersection after being struck.
This story was originally published August 20, 2018 at 10:11 PM.