911 calls from bike fatality released

Charleston police on Thursday released copies of the 911 calls received Tuesday about a fatal bicycle wreck on the James Island connector.

Mitchell Hollon, a 54-year-old anesthesiologist, was killed about 8:30 a.m. when his bicycle was struck by a utility van. He was knocked off the bike, over the side of the connector and into the marsh, where his body was later recovered.

The first call 911 was from a woman who said she had seen an AT&T truck hit a person on a bike. She said the person on the bike was flung over the side of the bridge. She also said the AT&T truck had stopped.

The next call was from the driver of the AT&T truck, who said, “I just hit a man on a bicycle and he flipped off the bridge.” The driver, Gregory E. Rupley, 44, of Ashley Hall Road, went on to say, “ ... he swerved out in front of me and I hit him and he went off the bridge.”

Charleston police have said the collision was Rupley’s fault, but no charges had been filed in the case as of Thursday.