Bicyclist struck in Olney hit-and-run reunited with officer who helped save her life

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A bicyclist who almost lost her life in a hit-and-run crash is sharing her story. It has been three weeks since Mary Pellicoro was hit by a driver in Olney. On Thursday, she was reunited with the police officer who helped save her life.

The last time Sgt. Elijah Kinser saw Pellicoro, he believed it would be their first and only encounter.

"I didn't really think that she was going to make it," said Sgt. Kinser. "There were pretty extensive injuries and I knew that time was critical for her."

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Pellicoro was riding her bicycle on Route 108 near Doctor Bird Road when she was struck on the evening of April 27.

"I looked to the left and the right and I didn't see anybody, so I took off," she said. "I looked over at the ale house. It was a nice night and I noticed how busy it was, and that is the last thing I remember."

Kinser was the first officer to arrive and found Pellicoro with a serious head injury lying in the middle of the street. Her belongings were strewn across the road.

"The people that saw the collision, it happened so fast to them that they didn't even recognize that they needed to remember what they saw," said Sgt. Kinser. "In fact, one of the witnesses said, 'I thought the vehicle had hit a deer in front of me and that's what happened.'"

Pellicoro said she suffered a fractured right hip, a fractured vertebrae, a fractured right shoulder, a broken left thumb and trauma to the left side of her brain. She now uses a walker to get around and she will have many months of recovery ahead.

Meanwhile, the driver has not been found.

"There is no question this person knew they hit something," Kinser said. "There is no way that they wouldn't know. And for them to drive off is very disturbing."

Since her accident, Pellicoro's friends have placed signs with details about the hit-and-run near the intersection where she was struck hoping someone with information will come forward.

Pellicoro has used a bike as her main means of transportation for more than a decade, and often spent her time advocating for more bicyclist safety improvements and awareness in Olney.

"I do ride in the middle of the lane as the law permits when I have to ride in the lane," she said. "Unfortunately in Olney, there are lots of areas that don't have shoulders and sidewalks so I am forced to do that. I wish we had a little more education in the community on a normal basis and a little more signs."

There is very limited information about the suspect vehicle in this hit-and-run. Police said they are looking for a silver or light-colored pickup truck.