Bicyclist struck in hit and run crash in Hanson; Police search for SUV

HANSON - A bicyclist was seriously injured in a hit and run crash in Hanson Thursday evening.

Police are searching for a white SUV that is believed to have hit the bicyclist on Route 14 at about 5:50 p.m. The vehicle possibly has front end and passenger side damage.

Surveillance video shows the SUV hitting a children's playset and a mailbox seconds before police say that same SUV hit the bicyclist. The vehicle was heading east on Route 14 toward Pembroke.

The bicyclist was hit only about 50 feet away from where the mailbox was struck.

The victim, a man in his 40s, was taken by helicopter to a hospital with serious injuries.

Police believe the driver knew they hit someone and still drove away.

"Judging from some of the information we have gotten from people in the area, we believe that they would have known they've hit something," said Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch. "Not necessarily a person, but they definitely would have known they struck something."

State Police are assisting in the investigation.