Bicyclist Injured after Hitting SUV in Ketchum

KETCHUM, Idaho (KLIX)-A Ketchum man had to be flown to the hospital Monday when he struck the back of a Jeep while riding a bicycle.

According to the Blaine County Sheriff's Office, William Whittenberg, 25, was first sent to Wood River Medical Center and then to a Boise hospital by helicopter after the crash at around 6:30 p.m. in Ketchum. Sheriff Steve Harkins said in a statement investigators determined Whittenberg was headed down a hill and hit the back of a Jeep Liberty headed in the same direction near Main Street.

Whittenberg attempted to swerve around the Jeep and continue through an intersection but instead hit the SUV. The sheriff said the man likely failed to yield and was following too close. Whittenberg was not cited. The driver of the Jeep, Patricia Duetting, 73, of Sun Valley and her passengers were not injured; the vehicle only received minor damage. The area around the crash was blocked during the investigation.