Vicksburg cyclist killed in collision with a pickup truck

A Vicksburg man has died from a collision with a vehicle while he was cycling in the annual Bikes, Blues & Bayous bike ride.

Jim O’Daniel, 49, was hit near Itta Bena this morning, and he passed away around 8:30 a.m. at the Greenwood Leflore Hospital, Leflore County Coroner Debra Sanders confirmed to the Greenwood Commonwealth.

The paper reports that O’Daniel was hit by a pickup truck on U.S. Highway 81 near the Itta Bena turnoff, according to witnesses.

Sanders said that O’Daniel was from Vicksburg, although his Bikes, Blues & Bayous registration gives an address in Clinton.

An autopsy will be performed this week.

The roundabout 62-mile ride began at 7 a.m. in Greenwood. More than 1,000 riders came out last year.