5 things to know about the Jensie Gran Fondo hit-and-run that injured four cyclists
Four cyclists were injured when they were plowed into by a driver while participating in the Marin County charity ride
On Saturday Oct. 7, four cyclists riding in Marin County in California north of San Francisco were injured while participating in the Jensie Gran Fondo in a hit-and-run. The driver allegedly intentially served into the riders. Here is what you need to know about the frightening incident.
1) The collision took place mid-day during the charity ride
The Jensie Grando Fondo of Marin is backed by former pro Jens Voigt. It started at 7:30 am local time and the riders were hit around noon. The 2017 edition raised US$6,920 for the Marin Country Bicycle Coalition. The event consisted of three routes that took in parts of the famous Highway 1 coastal road. The distances were a 40 mile The Breakaway, a 70 mile The Presidential and a 100 mile Shut Up Legs.
2) GoPro footage helped police track down the driver
Soon after the colision, police got a vital lead from a motorcyclists. Thanks to video recorded on a GoPro by the motorcycle rider of the collision that brought down the four riders participating in the event, the blue Dodge Ram was identifiable. The footage showed the vehicle swerving from the middle to the lane to the right side of the road colliding with four cyclists participating in the Jensie Gran Fondo. The collision took place near Petaluma.
3) The suspect has been arrested
Police arrested 21-year-old Aaron Paff on Saturday approximately 12-hours after the collision when investigators located the truck seen in the video in a driveway in Novato. Paff is being held on US$50,000 bail and being investigated for hit and run.
4) The public played a crucial role in tracking down the driver
While video helped identify the suspect, the police then received numerous tip-offs that helped them find the vehicle. The vehicle showed damaged from the crash when it was finally tracked fown around midnight on Saturday. Police said they were able to make the arrest so quickly because multiple tips from social media which finally lead to the arrest.
5) All four cyclists were injured, one of them critically
The riders who were struck were all injured with one man requiring an airlift to hospital with critical injuries after being thrown into a ditch. Spencer Fast, 48, was the rider airlifted to hospital. The three other ridersm Robert Grier, 53, Oliver Colvin, 55, and Joseph Olla, 49, were transported to hospital via ambulance. Police described the injuries varying in severity from moderate to major.
