The victim, James E. Wojciehowski, 47, was transported to RRH by Liberty Ambulance.
He appeared to be in fair condition with no major injuries, according to Officer James Morrison of the Ridgecrest Police Department.
Hospital officials said Wojciehowski is in good, stable condition but has not been released yet.
The accident apparently happened when Jerry Pipes, 30, of St. Louis, Mo. parked in the bicycle lane near the hospital's old helicopter pad on the east side of China Lake Boulevard so he could get out and take photos of the desert and sun.
Wojciehowski seemingly was not looking up when at about 18 miles per hour he hit the car, according to law enforcers.
The impact left the rear of the vehicle with a dent, shattered glass throughout the inside of the vehicle and destroyed Wojciehowski's bicycle.
Wojciehowski was laying on the side of the road while bicycle pieces -- seat, helmet and mirror -- were scattered.
Pipes said, "I had been parked for about 20 minutes. I was admiring the desert and taking pictures."
"I turned around to look at the mountains when I saw a man on a bicycle hit the back end of my car."
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| Jerry Pipes, of St. Louis, Mo., sweeps glass from his rental car after a bicyclist slammed into the vehicle this morning. |
"His body flew forward and into the back window, and then he hit the ground. I ran over to see if he was still breathing. He spoke to me so I knew he was at least conscious."
Pipes ran across the street and phoned 911, he said.
Morrison was the first officer to report to the scene.
"Apparently, the bike rider was not looking where he was going," said Morrison. "There were already a number of people when I arrived, but the only witness to the incident was the owner of the vehicle."
Pipes was traveling through town on a business trip for Boeing and was driving a rental car from Alamo Rentals in Ontario [California].
"I hope the rest of the day isn't as eventful as this was. I really feel bad about this," said Pipes.