Woodstock Bicyclist Hit By Truck Gets New Bike

The community has rallied around a Woodstock man who was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle.

Students from Cherokee and Woodstock high Schools pitched in to raise money to get Zack Hodgson a new bicycle. Woodstock restaurant JUMP Kitchen also held a fundraiser to raise money for Hodgson. 

Described as Cherokee County School District high schools' number one fan, Hodgson depends on his bicycle to get him to and from the high school sporting events he attends on a regular basis. 

Zack was struck by a motorist in late March while en route to a game, and although he is recovering well from the injuries he sustained in the crash,  his bike was destroyed.

Principals Debra Murdock of Cherokee and Dr. Paul Weir of Woodstock, along with several students and coaches, recently met Hodgson at Out Spokin' Bicycles in Woodstock to present the more than $1,300 raised by the schools, and Hodgson's mother Suzanne presented more than $1,800 raised by JUMP Kitchen.  

Bike store owner Kevin Poske offered to allow Zack to purchase a new bike and safety equipment "at cost" to ensure he could get a high-quality bike to handle the hundreds of miles Zack rides each year.  

Hodgson, a 2008 graduate of Woodstock High School, has ridden as far as Forsyth County and even Paulding County to attend high school competitions in multiple sports.

According to the Georgia State Patrol, at around 9:36 March 22, a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Woodstock resident Randall Reece Porter, 44, was traveling westbound on East Cherokee Drive approaching Ranchwood Trail when he told authorities he thought a vehicle traveling eastbound was moving into the westbound lane. 

Porter swerved to the right, ran off the road and hit Hodgson with his side mirror as he passed.  

Porter failed to stop and left the scene of an accident. About an hour later, Porter called Cherokee County E-911 to report he "thought he had hit a mailbox on East Cherokee Drive," Watson added. 

Porter was charged with failure to maintain lane and hit and run/leaving the scene of an accident.