An alleged hit and run accident occurred Wednesday that left a local bicyclist severely injured.

Assistant Police Chief Jeremy Magri said officers were dispatched to the West Hoblochitto Creek bridge on Highway 43 North in reference to a bicyclist versus vehicle accident. When they arrived, officers found the bicyclist lying on the bridge next to her bike, Magri said. Her left leg had sustained severe injuries and was bleeding heavily. When they approached her, she told them that she was traveling west on the shoulder of the bridge when a gray Jeep Wrangler, also traveling west, struck her before fleeing the scene, Magri said.

Magri said officers also spoke with a witness at the scene who said he saw a gray vehicle driving on the shoulder of the road before he saw the woman on the bicycle thrown into the air.

An ambulance was dispatched to the bridge and the victim was transported to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, Magri said.

After she was transported for medical care, additional officers arrived and began patrolling the immediate area in an attempt to find the alleged suspect vehicle, Magri said. Officers were unable to find the vehicle.

Magri said once the person responsible is identified, he or she will face pending charges of leaving the scene of an accident with serious injuries. He asks anyone with information about the vehicle or knows the identity of the suspect to call the Picayune Police Department at 601-798-7411. That information can be provided anonymously by calling Pearl River County Crime Stoppers at 601-799-CLUE (2583).