PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A local man who works to memorialize bicyclists who’ve been hit by motorists was nearly a victim himself.

And he says Tuesday’s incident was no accident.

Nick Drombroski, the cyclist hit Tuesday, was lucky to walk away with relatively minor injuries and he says what happened to him was no accident.

On several corners and roads in the city you can find them — ghost bikes.

They’re old bikes, white washed, now memorials to cyclist hit and killed simply trying to share the road.

Drombroski created them and late yesterday in Squirrel Hill, he himself nearly became a tragic cycling statistic.

“I didn’t see the car till half second before it hit me,” Drombrowski said.

He was making his way down Shady Avenue from Wilkins when two wheels got hit by something with four and all indications say it wasn’t by chance.

“I talked to everyone who witnessed it and there’s no way this was an accident,” Drombroski said. “It was 100 percent intentional. It wasn’t’ a car and bike accident, it was an assault of one person on another.”

After the collision, the vehicle — a red Chevy S-10 pick-up, or possibly Sonoma pick-up truck — kept going.

Drombroski went on over his handle bars, then on to the hospital.

“I was put in an ambulance, taken to UPMC Presby,” he said. “Got a CT, a couple X-rays and was released.”

Drombroski suffered injuries to his head and neck.

His life was saved by his helmet, now cracked from impact.

“It did its job and better the helmet than me,” Drombroski said.

Now he wants justice given to what he says happened. But he also wants to establish understanding with the driver responsible.

“I – anything, I’d like to have an open conversation to ask him why he felt the need to do what he did,” Drombroski said.

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Bicyclist Hit By Truck, Injured In Squirrel Hill (11/14/2012)
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