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Cyclist struck and dragged underneath car

A Florida woman was on her bicycle when a car struck her, pinning her underneath the vehicle to be dragged along the road.

By Fred Lambert

LAKE WORTH, Fla., Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A cyclist in South Florida was pinned underneath a vehicle and dragged along the road Saturday, the latest in a string of similar incidents.

WPTV reports that witnesses said the woman was riding a bicycle when an SUV struck her, pinning her underneath the vehicle and dragging her across Lake Worth Road near Military Trail.

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Palm Beach Fire Rescue confirmed that just before noon they reached the scene and found the woman, who was indeed pinned beneath the vehicle. After stabilizing the SUV, rescue workers lifted it and removed the woman, who was airlifted with traumatic injuries to Delray Medical Center.

It is still unclear whether charges will be pressed against the driver.

According to a 2012 study by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Florida was rated the most deadly state for pedestrians and cyclists, with an average of 6.32 pedalcyclist fatalities per million residents -- more than any other state in the union.

Reports of cyclists being struck by vehicles are not uncommon, especially in Florida. Most recently, however, there have been a series of reports about people being dragged by cars for various reasons.

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Early last month, a woman in Jacksonville, Fla. sustained major injuries after she was dragged while trying to exit a vehicle during an argument. On Aug. 24, a 61-year-old Dayton, Ohio man was arrested after he beat a 19-year-old woman who refused to solicit herself for sex; she attempted to exit the vehicle and was dragged as the man sped off while she tried grabbing her purse.

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