Bicyclist struck on Hilton Head flown to Savannah hospital with ‘serious head injury’

A bicyclist struck by a vehicle Thursday afternoon on Hilton Head Island was flown to a Savannah hospital after he sustained a “serious head injury,” according to Lt. Col. Bill Neill with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Matthew Wicker, whose age was not immediately available, was flown to Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah from the Hilton Head Airport after he was struck around 1:45 p.m. by a dark green Ford F250 on Mathews Drive near William Hilton Parkway, Neill said.

When deputies arrived, Wicker was conscious, but could only tell them his first name, Neill said. Neill added that Wicker was riding in the roadway at the time of the crash.

The crash investigation has been turned over to the S.C. Highway Patrol.

According to the hospital, no record of Wicker being a patient could be found, which could mean that he has been discharged or did not agree to a waiver that allows the release of his name.

According to an investigation conducted in March by The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette, more cyclists and walkers died in the county last year than in any of the previous 10 years. Of the 11 deaths reported in 2016, six were bicyclists and five were pedestrians.

So far in 2017, one bicyclist has been killed and one pedestrian struck and killed.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 11:14 AM with the headline "Bicyclist struck on Hilton Head flown to Savannah hospital with ‘serious head injury’."