By Duncan Adams
The Roanoke Times
FLOYD COUNTY, Va. — A Floyd County man who is a longtime journalist was seriously injured Friday night after the motorcycle he was driving collided with a cow that was in the highway at the intersection of U.S. 221 and Poage Valley Road, according to the Roanoke County Police Department.
Police officers responded at 10:24 p.m. and the department reported today that W. Douglas Thompson Jr., 64, was the southbound motorcycle’s only occupant and was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital with life threatening injuries. A spokesman for Carilion Clinic said Saturday morning that Thompson was listed in critical condition.
The crash is under investigation. Marc Hirsch, a Roanoke County man, was driving north on U.S. 221 Friday night. He said he was forced to stop his car because several cows were in the road. “I actually went out to see if I could help round up the cows,” he said.
That’s when Hirsch noticed several other people had gathered around an injured motorcyclist. Hirsch said paramedics were still on their way, and he attempted to administer some aid to Thompson until they arrived.
Hirsch, who was on his way to Cave Spring High School, said his family had seen cows on the road before. He posted on Facebook wishing Thompson well and asking friends to pray for the injured rider.
Thompson’s friend Jeff Dalton is chief investigator for the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office and also Thompson’s pastor at Slate Mountain Presbyterian Church. He visited Thompson in the hospital Saturday. “Doug needs everybody’s prayers and he has a lot of healing to do,” Dalton said.
“It beat him up pretty good. I want Doug to get better and I believe he will.” Dalton said Thompson loves to ride his motorcycle. He said he believes Thompson was headed home Friday night after attending a Floyd County High School football game in Augusta County.
Thompson is author of the Blue Ridge Muse blog and has been a contributor to the Floyd Press.
He is a former reporter for The Roanoke Times. Dalton said Thompson can write something that raises his ire and then turn around and do something and “you love him.” On Thompson’s Facebook page he describes himself as a semi-retired journalist, full-time curmudgeon and a full-time Harley rider.
Staff writer Zach Crizercontributed to this report.
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