Police Charge Valencia Man With Seriously Injuring Bicyclist in Highland Park

A Valencia man was arraigned in Pittsburgh Wednesday morning after police said he jumped a curb in Highland Park with his car and struck a bicyclist before driving away.

The Post-Gazette reports Mark McCloskey, 26, of Valencia, seriously injured the man, who was unlocking the front gate to his home on North Euclid Avenue after dismounting his bike when the car struck him on Tuesday.

Witnesses told police McCloskey then hit a stop sign before driving away again, the Post-Gazette reports.

According to KDKA, the bicyclist is David Wood, a retired University of Pittsburgh professor who worked in the neuroscience department.

He was taken to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh where he is in fair condition. The Post-Gazette reports Wood suffered a fractured vertebrae in his neck that required surgery and cuts on his head that required stitches.

McCloskey was arrested later Tuesday evening after he was involved in another crash at Butler and Chislett streets in Lawrenceville, WPXI reports. Witnesses identified McCloskey and his vehicle as the one that struck the bicyclist.

After a drug evaluation, McCloskey was not believed to be under the influence at the time of the collisions, according to new reports.

He is charged with an accident causing death or personal injury, one count of an accident involving damage to an attended vehicle and reckless driving.

As of Wednesday evening, McCloskey is in Allegheny County Jail. His bail is set at $25,000. A preliminary hearing is set for 12:30 p.m. Sept. 11 before Judge Donna Jo McDaniel is Pittsburgh.