It was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect El Tour de Tucson. Thousands of bicyclists from around the world took part in the event on Saturday, November 22, but along the northern perimeter of the course, a car ended up in the road and about ten bikes slammed into it.

Deputies say the driver, described as an elderly male, turned right into a pack of about 60 cyclists. Ten hit his car, and one cyclist received critical injuries as a result. Investigators are working to find out what happened.

Dick Houston lives on Westward Look Drive. “I use the intersection of Westward Look and Ina Road almost daily, and it is an extremely dangerous intersection,” he says. The car that the bicyclists hit was turning north from Ina onto Westward Look.

Sheriff’s Deputies say they still haven’t found the driver, yet witnesses say he drove from the accident northbound into a neighborhood with no outlet other than Westward Look Drive. “We didn’t get a license plate,” says Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Dawn Barkman. “We got some description of the man, some descriptions of the vehicle, but it’s a Honda or Toyota, gold or silver.”

On Sunday, Fox 11 News spoke to one of the riders involved in the collision, and he talked about poor traffic control at the scene. “I don’t think the police officer was doing her job correctly,” said Gene Landers. “In this situation, they were very negligent.”

Sheriff’s spokesperson Barkman responded, “My understanding is she wasn’t directing traffic at that point. But again, this is an ongoing investigation. There are several people who said that she waved the vehicle through, and that is absolutely incorrect information.”

It isn’t the first time a serious accident has happened at that intersection. Three crosses nearby represent people who have died there before. “I looked at the three crosses at that intersection, and I hoped there would be no more,” says Houston.

Deputies say 41-year old Gary Stuebe remains in critical condition at a Phoenix hospital.

As for what else might have contributed to the crash, Houston says bushes and trees in the median of Ina Road obstructs a turning driver’s view of oncoming traffic, but the Sheriff’s Department made no mention of that possibly being a factor in the collision.