A cyclist suffered serious injuries including broken ribs, a high-grade liver injury and multiple vertebrae fractures after an Altoona woman allegedly struck him with her SUV and then ran him over while trying to flee the scene over the weekend. Lisa Michele Anderson, 53, was arrested Saturday afternoon and now faces a string of felony charges tied to the East Plank Road crash.
According to WTAJ, multiple witnesses told officers they saw a vehicle, later confirmed to have been driven by Anderson, exit a parking lot and strike the victim as he rode his e-bike. A criminal affidavit cited by WJAC describes the male cyclist being found bleeding along the 200 block of East Plank Road after the Saturday afternoon collision.
Witnesses Describe a Pause Before the SUV Ran Him Over
Three of the witnesses alleged that Anderson came to a stop for three to four seconds after the initial impact before running over the victim and driving away to an Enterprise Rent-A-Car parking lot, per the WTAJ report. A witness then followed Anderson to the nearby business lot and stayed until officers arrived, according to police.
The cyclist was flown to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment of multiple head lacerations, broken ribs, a high-grade liver injury and several vertebrae fractures, the station's report notes. Investigators also found an approximate five-foot scrape on the roadway, showing where the victim's bicycle had been dragged underneath Anderson's SUV, per the same account.
'She Panicked,' Driver Allegedly Told Police
Anderson allegedly told police that the victim came out of nowhere and that she panicked after the initial collision. She also admitted that she did not have a valid driver's license, according to the WTAJ report.
Anderson was charged with aggravated assault with extreme indifference, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault by vehicle, and related counts including accidents involving bodily injury or death and reckless endangerment, the article states. Online court records show her jailed on those aggravated assault counts, accident-related charges and multiple traffic citations.
Bail Denied, Custody Location in Dispute
Bail for Anderson was denied, with the on-call magistrate citing a public safety risk, per the WTAJ report. Reports differ on where she is being held: WJAC reported she is being held at Cambria County Prison, while the Altoona Mirror reported that court documents show she was remanded to Blair County Prison.
Under Pennsylvania law, a driver involved in a crash causing injury or death must immediately stop at the scene, remain there, provide identifying information and render reasonable assistance to anyone hurt, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Failing to do so when a victim suffers serious bodily injury is a third-degree felony that carries a minimum 90-day prison term and a mandatory $1,000 fine. State law also makes it a separate offense for someone without a valid license to cause or negligently contribute to an injury crash, with directly causing serious bodily injury or death charged as a third-degree felony.
