Couple riding tandem bike hit by car, man dies

AIKEN, SC (WIS) - An afternoon bike ride on an unseasonably warm winter afternoon was cut short Sunday when an Aiken couple was struck by a vehicle trying to pass their tandem bicycle.

Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton said 68-year-old Gerald Hooker and his wife were riding a tandem bicycle on Banks Mill Rd in Aiken when the two were struck by a vehicle attempting to pass them.

The Hookers were attempting a left turn onto Lone Oak Dr. when they were struck by a 2009 Ford driven by a 23-year-old Aiken woman, according to the coroner.

Gerald Hooker was pronounced dead at Aiken Regional Medical Center Sunday afternoon. Ms. Hooker was released from the same hospital with minor injuries.

The Highway Patrol's MAIT team is investigating the crash. This is the 1st fatal crash in Aiken County in 2012.

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