BA Bicyclist Recovering After Crash With Vehicle On Closed Track

A Broken Arrow bicyclist is out of the hospital and recovering after he crashed into a man driving his truck through a closed race course.

The cyclist had three laps to go when the crash happened at a race in Fort Smith, similar to the Tulsa Tough.

Race organizers and officials block streets off with barriers and marshals make sure nobody tries to cut through the course and police said witnesses told the driver he couldn't go around the barricades to cross the street.

Aaron Hansen is bruised and banged up from the face down and can barely get around after getting into a bicycle crash at the Arkansas State Criterium Championships in Fort Smith.

"I don't remember the turn where the truck pulled out, I have a vague memory of slamming on the brakes, but that's it," Hansen said.

After the crash, he remembers waking up with first responders treating him.

Witnesses told police they saw a man pulling onto the closed race course which was surrounded by barricades.

Hansen said, "People run Spartan races, they run marathons, we race bikes, it's no different, it's just a hobby we have. Yeah, there's dangers involved in it, but a truck entering the course isn't one of them."

His helmet took some of the impact, and his bike frame is cracked, but what you can't see are the injuries to his back, rib, and a punctured lung.

Hansen's wife, Gwenda, is happy he's OK and grateful for the support he's received from the event directors and teammates.

"They were amazing, they did their job, they even came and visited while he was in the hospital - a very, very, caring community," she said.

Hansen won't be able to get back on a bike anytime soon, but hopes when he can get back in the saddle, drivers will see him as an equal out on the road.

"We pass by each other in the grocery store isle. We probably shake each other hands in church. We may see each other at a soccer game or a football game on the weekend, it's not until we get out on a bike and they're in a vehicle that you know we're competing against each other and it's an inconvenience of time," he said.

The driver told police he didn't go around any barriers and no one told him he couldn't cross the road.

Police cited him for avoiding a barrier and failing to yield.