WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 68-year-old Waterford Township man is recovering in the hospital after a hit-and-run crash left him with a broken shoulder and severe whiplash while he was crossing Pontiac Lake Road on his electric bike Sunday night.
Marvin Neilsen was riding his electric bike across Pontiac Lake Road just after 9 p.m. Sunday, heading to Meijer, when a car attempting to turn left struck him and threw him off his bike.
Watch Carli Petrus' video report below:
"I've never experienced something like this before," Neilsen said.
Neilsen said he made it about halfway through the crosswalk before the collision occurred.
"When I got hit and I went upside down and I impacted the road, the shock of the impact made me just like roll, and then when I turned around, I look at him, whoever this person was in the car, they backed up and they took off," Neilsen said.
Hear more from Marvin Neilsen in the video player below:
After initially refusing treatment at the scene, Neilsen's brother Mark took him to the hospital that same night.
"When I got the call, that's the first thing I thought was he was dead and luckily he wasn't," Mark Nielsen said.
Marvin Neilsen's sister-in-law Jennifer said he was in the right-of-way, though his bike didn't have any lights on it. She noted the intersection is well-lit at night.
"It's like daytime. It's one of the biggest intersections in Waterford," Jennifer Neilsen said.
Police are still searching for the driver who hit Marvin Neilsen. He got a brief glimpse of the vehicle.
"It was like a light gray, a smaller car, it had round headlights," Marvin Neilsen said.
He is now hospitalized with multiple injuries from the crash.
"He has whiplash really bad, hard time moving his neck, he fractured his shoulder blade," Jennifer Neilsen said.
Despite his injuries, Marvin Neilsen expressed gratitude to the anonymous witnesses who helped him at the scene.
"I want to say thank you to the people that saw it and are trying to help me," Marvin Neilsen said.
His family is asking for the public's help in finding information that leads to an arrest.
"Somebody has to come forward, somebody knows something," Mark Nielsen said.
Marvin Neilsen emphasized the impact the crash has had on his life.
"Any help that can help me find this person and make this right because I'm going to go through a lot of pain, I'm losing a lot of money and I cannot work and I can't do anything to help take care of myself," Marvin Neilsen said.
"I cross that street multiple times each day and I never had this problem ever," Marvin Neilsen said.
Anyone with information about the hit-and-run is asked to contact the Waterford Police Department at 248-674-0351.
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