VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A man was riding his bike down Independence Blvd. in Virginia Beach Dec. 13 around 6:15 a.m. when he was hit by a car and, as his family said, left for dead.
Malcolm Higgins was driving down that same road around 6:20 a.m. He spotted something off to the side of the street.
"I had a feeling that it was not a normal thing that would be there," said Malcolm Higgins of Virginia Beach. "It wasn't like something had blown off somebody's truck."
He doubled back and stopped in front of the Hollomon-Brown funeral Home and the Bayside Masonic Temple.
"I realized there was a man sitting there and there was a bicycle sitting there. The gentleman was basically here on the edge of the curb. He was still halfway in the street. He had been riding a bicycle," said Higgins who approached the man. "I said, 'sir, are you hurt?' He said, 'yes.' I said, 'did you get hit by a car?' He said, 'yes.'"
An off-duty police officer happened upon the scene minutes later. Higgins said the officer had seen his hazards flashing.
They called responders to help the bicyclist, William (Bill) McCormick. They assisted McCormick for the roughly five minutes it took for help to arrive.
"I thought he might be going into shock, so I grabbed a blanket out of my car and put it under his head, helped him lean back so he could rest on the blanket," explained Higgins.
News
Man arrested in connection to James City County 'road rage' hit-and-run
Higgins believed Bill McCormick had been hit from behind.
"It was very upsetting to hear that somebody left him on the side of the road," said Brian Barboza, friend of Bill McCormick. "They know. You know, you hit a person on a bicycle. To leave is just uncalled for."
"I just don't understand how somebody could do something like that and leave him on the ground," added Linda McCormick, mother of Bill McCormick."Every time I think about it, I get very upset. Especially when I got to the hospital and see how bad it is."
Bill McCormick had surgery Monday. He said he'd like to share his story when he's feeling better. His family said he had broken bones and damage to his lung.
It's been difficult for everyone, especially his mother who adopted Bill McCormick.
"He's in my heart all the time," said Linda McCormick. "I just worry about him all the time."
The family explained Bill McCormick was on the road that morning biking between jobs.
"This gentleman rides a moped or a bicycle to work— rain, snow it doesn't matter, he does not miss a day of work," said Barboza.
Barboza said Higgins and those who stopped to help are heroes.
"That was an honorable citizen right there," said Barboza. "I don't care if he was late for work, he just stopped. That's incredible."
News
'I don't feel safe:' 80% of drivers report driving aggressively in last 30 days
News 3 reporter Erika Craven asked Higgins why he decided to stop and help.
"Well, that's a great question," answered Higgins. "But everybody who would have seen the man in their headlights I think would have stopped. I don't think I did anything different than anybody else."
In the meantime, the family hopes the driver who hit Bill McCormick comes forward.
"You know, we all make mistakes," said Melissa Caldwell, cousin of Bill McCormick. "Maybe in the heat of the moment and just the [uncertainty] of what happened that early morning, maybe there was a poor choice in taking off. But here's the chance to make it right."
Homepage
Virginia Beach man saves woman trapped in house fire
They hope someone saw something that morning.
Barboza said a neighboring business likely had video of the incident. He hopes it will lead the police to find the culprit.
Police said they're investigating, but said they didn't have suspect vehicle information to release at this time.
If you have any information, contact Virginia Beach police.
