1 killed when 4 cyclists hit in east Fort Worth

One person died and another was taken to the hospital when four bicyclists were rear-ended Friday morning in east Fort Worth.

The cyclists were on Dotty Lynn Parkway at Division Street around 6:30 a.m. when they were hit. They were part of a church group.

The person who was killed was identified as 57-year-old Steven Cannon, of Arlington.

The Arlington Police Department confirmed one of their off-duty officers, identified as Alan Branch, was also seriously hurt and taken to the hospital.

The other two cyclists had minor injuries. All of the cyclists are friends and church members at Lake Church in Arlington. 

“Currently, Det. Branch is undergoing surgery as we speak, and we’re waiting to hear the prognosis on his surgery,” Arlington interim Police Chief Kevin Kolbye said.

Police said the driver who hit them stayed on scene and is cooperating with the investigation.

They do not believe alcohol was a factor.

Dieter Scholtyssek was not among the group, but he is an avid cyclist in the close knit community that includes the Arlington area.

“It’s a very dangerous part of the road,” he said.

Text messages began to flood his phone just after the accident. He’s known to ride the route which, he says includes a dangerous hill.

“They reached out to me, ‘Hey, are you OK?’ So yeah, it’s a shock,” he added. “You’re going downhill and the cars that come over behind you have very little time to react because you’re behind that rise, but it’s the main route between north Arlington and south Arlington that connects all the trails.”

The interim chief shared a message from Det. Branch’s family.

“Please continue to lift up Alan in your prayers as he has a long road of recovery. We are so deeply saddened for one of Alan‘s closest friends in this tragedy,” Kolbye said.