Former lawmaker involved in dump truck vs. bicycle crash

Med Flight responded to a dump truck versus bicycle crash in Dane County that sent an Indiana man to the hospital with serious injuries Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

Dane County dispatch confirmed that a bicyclist was hit by a dump truck in Primrose shortly after noon. First responders were headed to Britt Valley Road and County Road JG.

Dane County Sheriff’s Office said 60-year-old Michael Bodnar, of Bloomington, Indiana, was participating in Pedal Across Wisconsin with is wife and approximately 120 other bicyclists.

The group was headed south on County Road JG when a dump truck driven by 70-year-old Richard Skindrud, of Mount Horeb, attempted to pass Bodnar and his wife. Skindrud moved back into the lane of traffic too soon and clipped Bodnar’s bike with the rear of the dump truck.

“It’s that season, and we do need to remember that bicyclists do have the ability to be on the road and lawfully, so we need to be conscientious of where they’re at and giving them enough room to safely pass them,” Dane County Sheriff’s Lt. Tim Schuetz said.

Other bicyclists with the group said the dump truck passed them earlier and came close to running them off the road.

“I really did think that was a close call, and then when I saw what actually happened such a short time after he was so close to us, I thought that could’ve been us. It could’ve been us,” Carol Graham said.

Skindrud is a former Wisconsin state lawmaker and sergeant at arms. He served in the state Assembly from 1993-2002.

Bodnar was taken by Med Flight to UW Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

Skindrud was cited on suspicion of unsafe passing of a bicyclist.