PORT ORANGE, Fla. — Volusia County's sheriff is recovering after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while on his bike and sent to a hospital Thursday.
What You Need To Know
- Sheriff Mike Chitwood was hit by a car while riding his bike Thursday
- Port Orange Police arrested Paige Bergman, who they said struck Chitwood and drove off
- Chitwood was taken to Halifax Health with several injuries, including broken leg
Sheriff Mike Chitwood was riding his bike in the area of Town West Boulevard in Port Orange in the afternoon when he was struck by a vehicle.
A WastePro truck was there when Chitwood was hit and captured the incident on a dashboard camera.
Thank you all again for your messages and kind words. I have some road rash, a few stitches on the gash from the passenger side mirror and a fractured fibula that the doctors hope will heal on its own. I consider myself lucky to be back on my feet today. pic.twitter.com/phspkf9LO3
— Mike Chitwood (@SheriffChitwood) March 19, 2021
Chitwood was taken to Halifax Health. He said he incurred a broken leg, a gash from being hit by the vehicle's right-side mirror, and road rash.
Meanwhile, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office helped Port Orange Police track down a maroon Hyundai Sonata with a missing right-side mirror to a house in Deltona. There, police officers arrested Paige Bergman, 20, on charges of leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury.
Chitwood said Bergman said she was "shopping on Amazon on her phone" when she hit him.
"I know she had no intention of running me down," Chitwood said. "That’s what a lot of distracted drivers say after they cause a tragedy. Just imagine if that had been a child or an elderly person on that bike, or if the car drifted a couple more inches to the right."
To every single @VolusiaSheriff deputy, detective, crime analyst and @PortOrange_PD officer who played a role in this case yesterday, you have my sincere appreciation for an outstanding job. I am so proud of the incredible work you do every day, and this is one more example of it
— Mike Chitwood (@SheriffChitwood) March 19, 2021
Chitwood took to Twitter to share his experience and thank the WastePro truck driver and the first responders and law enforcement officials who helped him.
"Thanks to all of you who have been so concerned. It is a privilege to be your sheriff and to know so many of you care," Chitwood said.
True professionals taking great care of an unruly patient pic.twitter.com/wTwDKMtKuH
— Mike Chitwood (@SheriffChitwood) March 18, 2021
Chitwood also joked that his grandchildren are interested in seeing his injuries — so at least he has their attention.
This isn't the first time Chitwood has been struck by a vehicle while riding his bike. In 2017, he was hit while riding his bike, suffering two fractured vertebrae and a broken left hand. He was riding in Ponce Inlet when he was hit by a pickup truck. The driver was cited for failing to yield the right-of-way.
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