The victim, Steven Allen Norwick, is a retired Sonoma State University professor and an experienced cyclist. Police say he was riding along Petaluma Hill Road just north of East Railroad Avenue in Sonoma County when he was struck from behind. Police say it is the third vehicle vs. cyclist accident and the second hit-and-run in unincorporated Sonoma County in the last 30 days.
Spray paint on the pavement marks the spot where police say the driver hit the man then kept going. "He's got head injuries. He's got spinal injuries and I believe he has kidney injuries also," CHP Officer Kerri Post told ABC7 News.
Police say the victim, although an experienced rider, was no match for the truck that struck him from behind. At the scene, pieces of his safety gear remain including the straps from his glasses, the broken clasp of his helmet, and even the casing from his bike light, all reminders of the force of impact that has left the retired professor in his 60s unconscious and clinging to life.
Police have a message for the driver. "Turn yourself in. It's going to be much worse as time goes on," Post said.
The speeds along that stretch of Petaluma Hill Road in Sonoma County often exceed the 45 miles per hour posted speed limit but because of the time of day, investigators say witnesses may have seen the vehicle even if they didn't witness the collision. Cops are looking for a full-size beige or champagne-colored Dodge pick-up truck somewhere between the model year of 2002 and 2008. They know the right side mirror was torn off from the collision and that the truck is missing its right front headlight, also knocked out when the driver of that truck hit the bicyclist.
CHP says there is absolutely no way that the driver isn't aware they hit someone. They ask that anyone with information on this collision to contact Sonoma County CHP.
