Mesa bike racer critical, expected to survive

A Mesa amateur bicycle racer was in critical condition Tuesday after crashing through the back window of an SUV that had stopped in front of several riders during a race in Utah on Saturday.

Four other cyclists were injured in the crash.

Dave Collins, 48, under went a 13-hour face reconstruction surgery at University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City on Sunday and was placed in a medically induced coma, according to Sterling Baer, president of Mesa’s Red Mountain Brumbys Bicycle Club.

Nearly every bone in Collins’ face was broken, but the surgery was a success, and doctors are positive he will recover, Baer said.

Before the surgery, Collins opened an eye and gave a thumbs-up sign, Baer said.

“Dave’s eye socket, nose, cheekbones and jaws were broken, but doctors successfully repositioned all the bones but one in his face during the surgery and will repair the other one later,” Baer said. “Dave’s face was swelling, so doctors decided to stop the surgery and place him in a medically induced coma until Tuesday and repair the other bone at a later time.”

A hospital spokeswoman said on Tuesday that Collins was no longer in a coma.

The four riders were competing in the 1,000 Warriors charity bicycle race just south of Salt Lake City.

During a dangerous stretch of the race on State Road 92 in American Fork Canyon, Collins smashed through the rear window of a black SUV that slammed on the brakes immediately in front of a pack of racers, said Sgt. Jeff Nigbur, Utah Highway Patrol spokesman.

The black SUV’s driver was reacting to another vehicle that appeared to be swerving between lanes, Nigbur said.

The racers were going 35 to 45 mph at the time of the accident, he said.

Collins, who was airlifted to the hospital, also suffered severe wounds to his upper torso, but there were no neck or vertebrae injuries, according to Baer.

“It was touch and go and had there not been medical doctors riding right with him, it could have been a far worse outcome,” said Rick Bennett, the race’s organizer.

Two other riders from Mesa, Steve Beck and Mike Skousen, were taken away by ambulance. Beck, who received stitches, was released from the hospital Sunday, and Skousen, who suffered a partially collapsed lung and received 30 stitches to his hip, was released Monday morning, Baer said.

Cyclists Wayne Smith and Grant Taylor, also of Mesa, were treated at the scene for minor injuries, Baer said.

The 1,000 Warriors race, which benefits Iraq and Afghanistan military veterans and families, takes place in conjunction with stage five of the professional Tour of Utah race, which Bennett also organizes. That segment is 96 miles long and climbs three mountains in what he described as “the hardest stage of the hardest race in America.”

Race organizers had asked the Utah Department of Transportation to close the road for the two events, but the department declined, Bennett said. The road is a popular one with campgrounds alongside of it, he said.

At the time of the accident, there were more than 600 cyclists sharing the roadway, Bennett said. Another rider broke both of his collarbones in a separate accident elsewhere on the course, he said.

Bennett said he might cancel the amateur race next year because of the course’s dangerous nature.

“It’s just too risky to do this again,” he said.

Nigbur said an investigation will determine whether charges will be filed against either of the drivers involved in the accident.