Ten Days Later, Questions Remain in Route 50 Bicycle Crash
News
A woman riding a bicycle east on Route 50 just outside Middleburg was critically injured on the morning of Sunday, October 18, after she was struck by a horse trailer passing her near Briar Patch Lane. Ten days later, no charges have been announced, and the Sheriff's Office says the investigation is still active and will not say how she is.
Emergency crews were called at about 10:50 a.m. to Route 50 between Snickersville Turnpike and Champe Ford Road, a two-lane stretch marked with a double yellow line. A Sheriff's Office spokesperson described her injuries as "life-threatening," according to Loudoun Now. Medics first called for a helicopter but took her to the hospital by ambulance. Route 50 was closed between Snickersville Turnpike and Champe Ford Road.
## What the court filing says
The fullest account so far comes from a court filing. Investigators asked a judge for a search warrant for the trailer driver's phone, and the supporting filing, reported by Loudoun Now on October 26, lays out what witnesses told deputies. Both the rider and the truck pulling the horse trailer were heading east. The driver crossed the double yellow line into the westbound lane to pass her, then pulled back into the eastbound lane too soon. The trailer struck the rider, and she lost control and went down.
The Sheriff's Office stands behind that account. "I can confirm the information found in the search warrant," a Sheriff's Office spokesperson told the Eccentric in an email on October 28.
A search warrant is not a charge, and the filing does not say what investigators expect to find on the phone. Neither the rider nor the driver has been named, and no charges have been announced. Asked about the rider's condition and whether charges are expected, the spokesperson said, "This is still an active investigation, so I am unable to provide any further details including the condition of the person on the bicycle."
## What the law requires
Virginia's passing law, Code § 46.2-839, puts the burden on the driver doing the passing. A motorist overtaking a bicycle must leave at least three feet, must not move back to the right "until safely clear" of the rider, and must change lanes when the lane is too narrow to pass with that clearance. The same section covers passing a horse or a horse-drawn vehicle, which is as familiar a sight on Route 50 as a road bike.
The questions that matter most are still unanswered: how she is doing, what investigators conclude, and whether anyone will be charged. The Eccentric will report the answers as they come.
If you witnessed the crash, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office non-emergency line is 703-777-1021.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said the crash happened on a Saturday. October 18 was a Sunday.