A bicyclist nearly killed by a driver accused of road rage is slowly recovering from her injuries, and authorities have arrested the driver.
Ambika Sundaresan is a single mother living in Carmel Valley. She spoke exclusively to NBC 7 about the accident and how it’s changed her and her family’s lives.
Last October, Sundaresan participated in the Pedal for the Cause San Diego cycling fundraiser. She was doing it in memory of her father, who died of non-hodgkins lymphoma in 2001.
While riding on State Route 67 just north of Poway Road, investigators say a man named Douglas Kent Lane cut off another motorist in a fit of road rage using the bike lane. He struck Sundareson, breaking her neck, collar bone, fibula and ankle.
According to court documents, Lane was so angry at the other driver, he didn’t see Sundaresan on her bicycle and didn’t even know he had hit her.
Sundaresan is slowly recovering, but can barely move her neck. She says the accident has impacted her family a great deal.
“It’s been life altering not just for myself, but for my kids,” she said. “Every parent would like their child’s life to be this carefree, and I know it’s not been for my kids now.”
The suspect was arrested on Saturday. Two witnesses helped investigators build their case against Lane, who has a prior criminal conviction. He is charged with felony reckless driving, resulting in serious injury. If convicted, he faces three years in state prison.
His arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 13.
