A 25-year-old cyclist is dead after a Porsche Cayenne struck him while he rode southbound on Kenny Road in Columbus, and police say they are still working to determine exactly how the crash unfolded. Dion Watts was thrown from his bicycle in the collision and later died from his injuries.
According to WSYX, the crash happened at about 6:39 p.m. last Thursday on Kenny Road just north of Preston Avenue. Columbus police rushed Watts to Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, but he did not survive his injuries.
The Columbus Police Accident Investigation Unit said the investigation remains ongoing, and the station's report notes that investigators are still working to determine how Watts died after being hit by the car. No further details about the driver or the circumstances leading up to the crash have been released.
Police Ask Public for Help Identifying What Happened
Anyone with knowledge of the vehicle or driver is encouraged to contact the Accident Investigation Unit at (614) 645-4767, per the same account. Those who wish to remain anonymous may instead reach out to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-8477.
Watts's death adds to a grim pattern playing out on Columbus streets. In an earlier incident on May 29, 2026, NBC4 reported that another cyclist was struck and killed by two vehicles on a Friday morning near Cleveland Avenue and East 5th Avenue, north of Downtown. Police said that cyclist was pronounced dead at the scene, and Cleveland Avenue was closed between East 5th and Essex Avenues while that investigation continued.
A National Problem Playing Out Locally
Columbus's two recent cyclist deaths echo troubling national numbers. A total of 1,075 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles across the United States in 2024, the third-highest total ever recorded, according to the IIHS. That figure marks a 73 percent increase from the low point reached in 2010.
The IIHS also found that bicyclist deaths nationally peaked between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., accounting for 23 percent of fatalities, and that 81 percent of bicyclists killed in 2024 died in urban areas. Thirty-nine percent of those deaths happened at intersections, the organization reported. Those figures describe national trends only and do not speak to what happened on Kenny Road specifically.
Columbus has taken some steps aimed at improving cyclist safety elsewhere in the city. A Vision Zero Columbus project on East Broad Street reconfigured what had been an oversized six-vehicle-lane street into two vehicle lanes and one protected bike lane in each direction, according to NACTO. Whether similar changes are planned for Kenny Road has not been addressed in available reporting.
For now, the circumstances surrounding Watts's death remain under investigation, and police have not said whether the driver will face charges. Anyone with information is urged to come forward using the tip lines provided by the Accident Investigation Unit.
