Bicycling News

Video captures SUV mowing down 2 bicyclists near Dallas Fort Worth Airport

SUV runs over bicyclist after knocking him off his bike.

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A horrifying encounter near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport between car and bicycle has made international news.

The encounter, which took place on June 17, involved two bicyclists, who were rammed by an SUV and thrown off their bikes to the ground, before one was run over by a car — with the entire scene caught on video.

The two cyclists were a man and woman in their 60s, riding in the right lane of a roadway near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, when a white SUV came up from behind and rammed right into them, knocking them off their bikes.

After the collision, the driver then veered to the left lane and ran over one of the bicyclists, the tires on the right side of his car running over the cyclist's leg and torso.

The bicyclists were part of a group ride that took place on Monday at 6 pm — during broad daylight — on Airfield Road near Freeport Parkway, a common route for group rides.

The accident, with the accompanying footage, has been reported by everyone from TMZ to the Daily Mail in England. The video was caught by a camera attached to a bicycle that was ahead of the two bicyclists who were hit. (Since it first appeared, the video being circulated — which shows the SUV run over the bicyclist — has been blurred.)

According to Fox News, the driver was 31-year-old Benjamin Hylander, identified in the police report as a cargo worker for American Airlines, who was found with a half dozen empty beer cans in his vehicle, and who failed a sobriety test. He's been charged with Assault With a Deadly Weapon as well as Driving While Intoxicated.

The victim was Tom Geppert, a 69-year-old retired physician and avid bicylist who suffered injuries to his thigh and a fractured rib. The other rider who was hit, Deborah Eads, was treated for minor injuries.

Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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