Bicyclist Killed; Driver Charged with DUI, Driving on the Shoulder

A bicyclist was killed yesterday when he was struck by a car along Fair Street in Patterson. The driver of the car has been charged with driving while impaired by drugs.

Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith said the bicyclist has been identified as Alan D. Taylor, 62, of Shore Drive in Southeast.

Taylor was reportedly riding a bicycle in an eastbound direction along Fair Street in Patterson at about 11:45 A.M. on Tuesday when he was struck by an eastbound car. The collision occurred near the entrance to The Plaza at Clover Lake senior housing facility, about a half-mile west of Route 311.

Emergency responders found Taylor unresponsive at the scene. Sheriff’s deputies administered CPR to the victim, with assistance from passersby, and a paramedic also attempted to revive the injured man. Taylor was transported by a TransCare Ambulance to Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel, where he was pronounced dead.

The car was a 2001 Buick driven by Ray Vanzo, 47, of 9 Avery Road in Carmel, who was the only occupant of his car, police said.

Upon investigation, a deputy sheriff specially trained as a Drug Recognition Expert examined Mr. Vanzo and determined that his ability to operate a vehicle was impaired by drugs. He was taken to Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel, where a sample of his blood was drawn for laboratory testing.

Police alleged that Vanzo’s car drove off the road and struck Taylor’s bicycle on the shoulder. Vanzo was arrested and charged with driving while impaired by drugs and with driving on the shoulder. Additional charges are expected to be filed.

Vanzo was not injured in the crash but complained of not feeling well while being processed and was subsequently admitted to the hospital.

Carmel Town Justice Joseph Spofford arraigned Vanzo in the hospital and set bail at $50,000 cash or $50,000 bail bond. As of the time of this news release, bail had not been posted and Vanzo remained in the hospital under the watch of county corrections officers.

Vanzo was ordered to appear in the Patterson Town Justice Court May 18.

State troopers, Patterson Fire Police officers, and Patterson volunteer firefighters assisted in closing Fair Street to traffic while the crash scene was investigated by sheriff’s deputies and investigators. Fair Street was closed for about three hours during the investigation and reopened at about 2:45 P.M. May 5.