SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A Valley man will have to postpone his wish of completing his first Ironman triathlon after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver in north Scottsdale early Tuesday morning.
Jason Ottman was out training on his bicycle at 4:30 a.m. near 68th Street and Lone Mountain Road when he was seriously injured.
“He doesn’t remember the actual accident,” said Sharon Ottman, the victim’s wife. “He ended up with a broken shoulder and ribs. His back is broken in a couple of places. Thank God he’s neurologically okay. He can walk.”
Jason’s bicycle was located near 76th Street and Lone Mountain Road, approximately one mile east of the crash site, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities believe the driver fled the scene with the bicycle still attached to their vehicle.
“It’s just unfortunate the driver never stopped,” Sharon said. “It was a hard impact for sure. It wasn’t just a bump that caused him to fall over. It was a direct hit.”
Sharon said her husband had been training to complete his first triathlon race for about a year now and often rode in the mornings. Those rides involved several lights and reflective gear, she said.
“He had two front lights, two rear lights, just trying to do everything right. But I know his helmet saved his life,” she added.
Part of the safety gear included a mobile app that Sharon said notified her of her husband's last location. The last ping came in at 4:22 a.m., and at 5:09 a.m., she woke up to a call from EMTs telling her about the accident.
Sharon believes her husband would have died had it not been for a person that called 911.
“We are so grateful to whoever called 911 for him because that saved his life,” she said.
While the road to recovery will be longer than Jason’s scheduled event, set to take place in a month, he hopes to be back peddling soon, his wife said.
While that happens, Sharon hopes the person responsible for their pain comes forward themselves.
“I would plead for them to have a conscious and do the right thing and right your wrong,” she said.
There is no suspect or vehicle information at this time, MSCO said. Anyone with information is asked to call 602-876-1011.
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