Alaska News

Police: Injured bicyclist was trying to cross street where traffic had green light

A preliminary investigation indicates that a cyclist who was critically injured in a Midtown bicycle crash with an SUV on Thursday was attempting to cross Benson Boulevard when traffic had a green light, the Anchorage Police Department said Friday.

Willis Clayborn, 30, was left with critical injuries in a local hospital, police said.

Judy Ketchum, 65, was driving the SUV, police said. Police have not issued any charges or citations, though the department's investigation has not concluded.

Police said Clayborn had been riding south on one-way A Street, against the flow of traffic, before the crash. The collision with the SUV occurred as he attempted to cross Benson Boulevard, where traffic had a green light, police said.

Three witnesses at the scene told Alaska Dispatch News they had seen Clayborn steering erratically before the crash.

Nathaniel Herz

Anchorage-based independent journalist Nathaniel Herz has been a reporter in Alaska for nearly a decade, with stints at the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media. Read his newsletter, Northern Journal, at natherz.substack.com

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