State troopers: Bicyclist struck by semi in Smith Township

SMITH TWP. − A cyclist returning home from a store Monday night was struck by a semi and flown to an Akron hospital with serious injuries.

The crash occurred on U.S. Route 62 near Homeworth Road around 8:41 p.m. in Smith Township, according to the Canfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The highway was closed in both directions for about two hours.

State troopers said Joseph Nitz, 28, of Alliance, was going west in the left lane of Route 62 in a motorized bicycle with no lights on. The rear of his bike was struck by a 2002 Freightliner, also in the left lane, and Nitz was ejected.

He was flown to Summa Health Center, Akron campus, by a LifeFlight helicopter.

Smith Township Police Department and Sebring Fire Department, which also covers Smith Township, assisted at the scene.

Sebring Fire Chief Mike Springer said on Tuesday the cyclist remains in the hospital with multiple facial fractures and a broken pelvis. Springer also said Nitz had his spleen removed. None of his injuries were considered life-threatening, state troopers said in a news release.

"According to a family member, he was riding his bike to Duchess and on the way back to the house, and a semi didn't see him and hit him," Springer said. "(Nitz) did not have on any reflective clothing."

The semi driver, a 68-year-old Danville man, was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: State troopers: Cyclist was struck and injured by semi near Sebring