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SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Massachusetts man was arrested Thursday after Florida Highway Patrol troopers said he struck and injured a bicyclist as he was fleeing the scene of another crash.
The first crash happened on U.S. Highway 41 in Sarasota County, according to authorities. Troopers said the Massachusetts man, identified as 78-year-old John Figgie, struck another driver in a van, but kept going.
As he was nearing Seagate Drive in Manatee County, Figgie, who was driving a sport utility vehicle, drifted into the bike lane and collided with a bicyclist who was heading north on U.S. 41, the FHP reported.
The bicyclist, a 78-year-old man from Sarasota, sustained critical injuries and was taken to a local hospital.
Officials said Figgie kept traveling north after the collision. About a half mile later, Figgie was involved in a third crash that troopers said caused “disabling” damage to his vehicle.
The bicyclist was the only person injured in the three crashes.
Figgie was arrested and booked into jail for felony leaving the scene of a serious injury crash and several other moving violations, according to troopers.

