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Driver was scared and left fatal bicycle accident

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By Dustin Lemmon | Tuesday, August 19, 2008 |

A Savanna, Ill., man charged with leaving the scene of a fatal hit-and-run accident Aug. 7 stopped to check on the man he struck, then became scared and left, police testified Tuesday.

The victim, Craig C. Schultz, 61, of Davenport, died at the scene from head trauma, Corey Peck, an investigator with the Illinois State Police said.

Schultz, a Davenport doctor, was riding his bicycle near the intersection of 150th Avenue North and 291st Street North near Cordova, Ill., when Agustin Barragan, 54, allegedly struck him with a pickup truck he was driving for his employer, Neumiller Farms of Savanna, Peck said.

Barragan had dropped off a fellow employee at the company’s Cordova farm shortly before the incident and was driving alone to their Erie, Ill., farm when he allegedly struck Schultz on his bike about 10:30 a.m., Peck said.

Barragan returned to the Savanna farm with the co-worker on a tractor about 1:30 p.m. and the farm’s owner, Tom Neumiller, noticed they weren’t driving the truck they had left in. When Neumiller asked what happened, he learned of the accident and called the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department, Peck said.

Illinois State Police later interviewed Barragan at the Savanna Police Department. Barragan, who can’t speak English, was interviewed by two troopers who speak Spanish.

He allegedly told them he stopped after striking the bicyclist and waited for several minutes, Peck said. After no other vehicles came along, Barragan told police he became scared and left, the investigator added.

Peck did not know if Barragan checked on Schultz’s condition, but he didn’t leave a note or any other information.

Barragan then put the truck in a building at the company’s Erie farm, Peck said. Investigators found damage to the front right end of the truck, including the hood, grill and headlight, Peck testified.

Police recorded the interview with Barragan and later received a warrant for his arrest. Barragan has since posted $1,000 bond and is out of custody.

He pleaded not guilty to a felony count of leaving the scene of an accident causing death Tuesday in Rock Island County Circuit Court and had his trial set for Oct. 20.

Dustin Lemmon can be contacted at (563) 383-2493 or dlemmon@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.