Md. Bicyclists Injured By Tacks On Race Route

BURKE, Va. - More than a dozen bicycle riders were injured Sunday during a road race in Southern Maryland. One of the riders, veteran cyclist Bryan Vaughan of Burke, Va, captured one of the crashes on video. It happened around 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the corner of Sedwick Street and Lawrence Avenue in Leonardtown.

"See the racer lose traction," said Vaughan as he showed FOX 5 the video taken by a small camera mounted on his bike helmet. "And then we all basically do the best we can but the curb's there. You really don't have anywhere to go so you kind of have to just brace for it and take the impact."

Crashing at 25 to 30 miles per hour, Vaughan banged up his leg pretty good. Another rider suffered a fractured elbow and serious shoulder injury during a crash earlier in the day.

St. Mary's County sheriff's investigators said somebody placed an unknown number of large tacks on the road in different places at different times of the day.

Vaughan's wife, Roberta MacArevey, never imagined his helmet camera might one day capture a crime in progress.

"I don't know why somebody would want to do it but it's certainly disturbing,” said MacArevey.

St. Mary's Sheriff's officials said if caught, whoever sabotaged the road race faces a variety of charges: assault, reckless endangerment and destruction of property.