Texas Cyclist Mowed Down Says He's Lucky To Be Alive, Alleged Drunk Driver ID'd
TEXAS CYCLIST LUCKY TO BE ALIVE AFTER MOW-DOWN Alleged Drunk Driver ID'd
One of the cyclists who got mowed down by a car in Texas is crediting his own bike for saving his life after an alleged drunk driver ran over him -- who, BTW, has now been ID'd.
Cops say Benjamin Hylander -- an American Airlines cargo worker -- careened his car into retired physician Tom Geppert and his fellow cycling group rider Deborah Eads near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Monday ... and now, we know the charges he's facing.
Remember ... this was all caught in shocking viral footage -- which shows Geppert and Eads getting hit from the back ... and Geppert getting crushed by the car. Now ... TG is recounting the whole thing ... telling a local media outlet he's lucky to be alive.
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Tom explained the only thing he remembers is something pushing him from behind and then falling. As we see from the footage, the driver slowed down for a bit ... but then continued to drive forward ... running over Tom's leg/body, which he says led to him losing consciousness.
Docs diagnosed Tom with a concussion after performing a CT scan. Additionally, he was left with an injury to his left hamstring, a fractured rib on the backside and a severe laceration -- which Deborah sustained as well. Miraculously, they weren't more severely injured.
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/imagez.tmz.com/image/3f/16by9/2024/06/19/3f3ee07b92b3463ab8beceb65e6f4fcf_md.jpg)
Looking on the bright side, Tom says he's "just overall amazingly lucky that I'm still alive" -- and he's grateful the car rolled over his thigh, especially since the bike on him elevated the car a bit and served as a bit of a cushion.
As for Hylander -- he was stopped by Good Samaritans until police arrived ... who led him away in handcuffs. Police say he failed field sobriety tests and a breathalyzer too ... and he was booked on 2 counts of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury, accident involving injury, and driving while intoxicated with a BAC greater than 0.15.
He's being held at the Tarrant County Corrections Center on a $36,000 bond ... and American Airlines has confirmed he's being withheld from service.