Why are these hit-and-runs taking so long to hit the media? Occurred July  17, 2026, and seems to have been first reported in the media July 27. Shouldn’t police be flooding the media ASAP after an incident. The victim seriously injured — this is a FELONY crime.

The crash is described as a right-hook northbound Gilbert Road at Rawhide:

The last thing Hunter Kennedy remembers before waking up on the ground around 5:30 the night of July 17 was a car driving next to him as he rode…
“I was going north in the bike lane, doing nothing wrong, doing everything correctly,” said Gilbert resident Hunter Kennedy.
Gilbert Police say witnesses saw that vehicle turn in front of Kennedy, causing him to crash, then leave the scene.
“Supposedly it’s a gold SUV. A lot of people are saying, gold Range Rover,” Kennedy said
…If you know anything, send them a tip by clicking here. There’s also a GoFundMe set up to help Kennedy with his medical expenses..

Gilbert Road is a main N/S arterial thru Town of Gilbert. This area is just 1/2 mile south of Gilbert’s downtown area… and only about 2/10s mile before the striped BL terminates.

The BL here is annoyingly narrow, see the BL symbol? it’s 40″ wide and doesn’t even fit onto the asphalt. Gilbert road transitions from a mega-arterial (at Warner) to an urban street (at Elliot, thru downtown) so there’s a variety of width issues here. Though at this particular stretch there is very wide median  (18 feet?).

Bicyclists (and e-bicyclists, too) are reminded to protect your space and guard against right-hooks. See how-to-make-a-right-turn for more about right-hook, and why/how bike lanes exacerbate the situation.

Reminder about Insurance and Financial Responsibility

Drivers are financially liable for any and all damages and injuries they cause. Drivers in Arizona as in most places are required to either carry insurance or prove ‘financial responsibility’. There are three glaring holes in this: 1) the state of Arizona has a laughably low minimum insurance amount ($25k or something?); or 2) the driver might have no insurance and no assets, or 3) the driver might hit-and-run and never be found.

Bicyclists who own cars are advised to purchase their own UM/UIM (Uninsured or Under Insured Motorist) insurance within their own auto insurance policy. It definitively stinks that people have to pay out of their own pockets to protect themselves (financially) from negligent and criminal drivers, but that’s the sorry state of affairs in Arizona and presumably all of USA. Car-centricity wins again.

Here are some references from years ago. And let me close with a reminder that I am neither a lawyer, or an insurance agent!