On the morning of Oct. 24, Donald Campbell had just embarked on what would have been a 54-mile bike ride when he was struck by a vehicle on the 12400 block of McNulty Road. The hit-and-run incident left him comatose for several weeks, and police are still investigating to identify the driver of the black Chevy Suburban.
The incident left Campbell, a 63-year-old Somerton resident, comatose for several weeks. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, three broken ribs, a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder and other, less serious injuries. Campbell said the only reason he survived was because he was wearing a good helmet.
After a month and a half at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, he spent two and a half weeks performing physical therapy at MossRehab before going home and starting outpatient care, which he finished in late March. His flexibility was impeded and he suffers from memory loss, but he’s back to being fully mobile on his own.
The morning of the incident, Campbell had been biking with a group and pulled out ahead of everyone. He was traveling westbound on McNulty Road when he was struck around 10:40 a.m. The vehicle did not stop and none of the other bikers were able to get a look at the license plate.
“I’m not trying to get back at this person, but just trying to do the right thing,” Campbell said. He is involved in bike safety groups in the city and said he frequently sees lack of respect for bikers on the road.
Police are still searching for leads. The front grille and hood of the vehicle were likely damaged in the collision, meaning the driver likely had to stop at a repair shop. Anyone with information should call the Accident Investigation Division at 215-685-3180.
Campbell works out at his house five days a week. His plan is to get back to being the cyclist he was before the accident.
“It’s one thing for me to internally decide to stop – it’s a totally different thing for it to be taken away from me,” he said. ••
View Campbell’s GoFundMe here: https://gofund.me/562de942.
