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Resident urges transparency after May 14 bicycle crash involving a police vehicle
Summary
A retired physician told the council that a May 14 Highway 90 crash between a bicyclist and a police vehicle critically injured the rider and has not been fully reported locally; he asked the police chief to release the state accident report and explain why the incident was not listed in the local police log.
Dr. Mark Darnell, a retired medical doctor and 30-year Silver City resident, addressed the Town Council during public comment on June 9 to press for transparency about a May 14 crash on Highway 90 involving a bicyclist and a Silver City police vehicle.
"Around 6:30 in the morning on Thursday, May 14th, an accident occurred on Highway 90 between a Silver City police vehicle and a bicyclist," Darnell said. He said the bicyclist, a 65-year-old experienced rider, was critically injured and airlifted to a trauma center in El Paso. Darnell said the cyclist is now in rehabilitation and appears likely to make a full recovery.
Darnell said there has been no detailed coverage in the Silver City Press and only a brief notice in the Grant County Beat. He said rumors circulate that the officer was an off-duty, newly hired officer returning home to Lordsburg after a 12-hour night shift, and that the incident was not logged in the weekly Silver City Police log. Darnell told the council he had requested the state police accident report and had received no response.
"It is past time to shed some light on this incident," he said, asking the police chief to release any state police accident report and to explain why the incident did not appear in the police log. He explicitly stated he could not verify the circulating rumors but urged transparency so the public could be assured the matter is being handled appropriately.
The council did not provide a substantive response on the record during that segment beyond receiving the public comment. No council motion or formal action was taken that evening related to the matter. The council may refer the issue for staff or chief follow-up at a later date; Dr. Darnell asked for the state report to be released if available.
