John Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald

GRAHAM COUNTY – A 13-year-old boy was treated Thursday for a broken arm and facial lacerations after being hit by a truck while riding an electric bike south of Safford.

A deputy from the Graham County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the South Lebanon Loop Road and Ann’s Ranch Road area regarding a bicycle-truck collision at approximately 4:12 p.m.

The deputy reported that the boy entered the southbound lane of the Lebanon Loop off Ann’s Ranch Road without giving way to traffic and was hit by a southbound white 2017 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. The pickup truck driver told the lieutenant that the bike was traveling about 35 miles per hour (the posted speed limit) when it entered the roadway. The driver applied the brakes and swerved into the northbound lane to try and avoid colliding with the cyclist, but was unable to avoid the collision and the cyclist hit the grill of the truck, about 20 feet from the point of impact. He said it crashed at a distance.

Skid marks at the scene and a second driver who was also driving south behind the truck corroborated the trucker’s version of events.

The boy was taken to Mount Graham Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. There were no citations in the crash.