Douglas Lane, who was accused of reckless driving for allegedly trying to overtake another car on a lane-merge on State Route 67 before hitting a bicyclist, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Monday.
He was arrested for the October incident where he nearly killed bicyclist Ambika Sundaresan. According to court documents, Lane sped up to overtake another merging car. The two cars collided, distracting Lane from noticing he had hit the cyclist.
“My client is very distraught that anyone was injured over the course of accident,” said Lane’s attorney, Paul Pfingst. “He didn’t even know that for a significant period of time until the police told him that and then when he explained this to the police they said everything was fine.”
Pfingst says Lane was surprised at the charges and has been cooperating with police.
Sundaresan, who broke her neck and collar bone, is a single mother living in Carmel Valley. She was participating in the Pedal for the Cause San Diego cycling fundraiser in memory of her father, who died of non-hodgkins lymphoma in 2001.
“It’s been life altering not just for myself, but for my kids,” she said of the crash. “Every parent would like their child’s life to be this carefree, and I know it’s not been for my kids now.”
