Hospitalized Bicyclist Speaks Out About Near Fatal Fairmount Park Hit-Run Accident

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Despite his devastating injuries that nearly killed him, Meurig James summoned the strength to talk to Eyewitness News from his hospital bed in order to try and track down the person responsible for putting him there.

James is in almost constant pain. (see related story)

The 33-year-old is a proud award winning amateur cyclist.

His life was almost cut short last Friday near the Please Touch Museum.

He was riding his bicycle with a friend just after 7 p.m. when he was slammed by a vehicle.

"I consider myself to have had a very lucky escape that somebody else couldn't have done. This driver could have easily hit a family on foot and we could have multiple fatalities," James said.

The driver never stopped on Lansdowne Avenue leaving James with a slew of injuries.

He had bleeding into his lungs as well as a broken collar bone, ankle, both knee caps and with two fractured vertebrae..

"I just want the person captured who hit me. That is all we are interested in right now," said James.

James tells Eyewitness News there might have been a second driver who accidently ran over his bicycle after the initial crash, and that second driver might have gotten a good look at the person responsible for hitting him.

"The last week has been pretty hellish. My condition got worse after I was admitted in the hospital for a series of three or four days before I got better," James said.

The 33-year-old is asking whoever may have witnessed last Friday night's crash in Fairmount Park to call Philadelphia police right away.

James says his employer is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the person responsible.

Reported by Todd Quinones, CBS 3