Cyclist recovering after hit-and-run

Authorities are looking for the motorist who struck a cyclist last month on the corner of White Memorial Church and Landmark roads in Angier.

Carl Demarais said Wednesday that he was near the end of his 20-mile bike ride when a car hit him from behind on July 30.

Demarais was knocked unconscious, and the motorist who hit him left the scene, authorities said.

Two Good Samaritans stopped and called 911. Paramedics transported Demarais to WakeMed in Raleigh for treatment.

"The pelvis was broken in several places,” Demarais said of his injuries.

Bolts and screws now hold his pelvis together. He also suffered from broken ribs and a concussion.

"Everybody tells me it is a miracle (that I survived),” Demarais said.

Demarais said he doesn't understand how the motorist who hit him could drive away.

“You would like to think the human side of it would prevent them from driving away and for leaving you on the side of the road to die or be dead,” he said.

Demarais will be in a wheelchair for months and must undergo therapy to learn to walk again. He said he isn't sure if he will bike once he recovers.

"Biking, you are literally at the mercy of every car passing you. You have to trust every vehicle passing you,” Demarais said.

The Good Samaritans who offered Demarais help identified him from a FIXX identification tag for cyclists.

If you know the person who hit Demarais, please call the state Highway Patrol.