1 dead, at least 12 injured after elderly driver plows into group of cyclists in North Carolina

One cyclist was killed and at least 12 others were injured after a driver, suspected to be impaired, plowed into a group of cyclists in North Carolina.

Donald Robert Morris-Jones, 76, was driving on Optimist Farm Road in Wake County on Saturday morning when he crossed the center line and struck the group of cyclists, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said. The incident unfolded about 14 miles southwest of Raleigh.

After striking the group, the vehicle traveled away from the scene then ran off the left side of the roadway and crashed into a ditch a half a mile away from the cyclists, officials said.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded to the scene just after 9:30 a.m.

One cyclist died as a result of the crash and at least a dozen more were hurt, authorities said. Their injuries range from minor to serious, and several were transported to hospitals for treatment.

Highway Patrol identified the deceased victim as Patrick Allen Turner, 63, of Cary, North Carolina.

He, and the other cyclists, were part of the Capital Cycling Club.

The club in a statement Sunday extended condolences to Turner's loved ones.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with you in this time of sorrow and mourning," it said. "He was a strong, consistent, reliable and considerate rider."

Morris-Jones was arrested and charged with death by vehicle, seven counts of serious injury by vehicle, eight counts of hit and run, driving while impaired, reckless driving and drive left of center, according to Highway Patrol. Morris-Jones was being held in the Wake County Detention Center on $1 million bail.

"Impairment is suspected to be a factor in the crash," the agency said.

Capital Cycling Club, which has operated for over 30 years and hosts Saturday group rides, said: "We are all in shock by the senseless decision by the individual that caused the collision."

"This horrific event was -no accident-. As far as we know, the individual made a decision to drive in a way that put others in grave and mortal peril," the club said. "We do not think there was any possible way the driver did not know that he had collided with the group. He chose at that moment to keep driving away from the scene leaving mass carnage in his wake."

The club said it's working with law enforcement in the investigation. The organization also thanked first responders for being on the scene within minutes and preventing further loss of life.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com