By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – An unidentified man remains hospitalized with serious injuries after he was hit by a car while biking on Airline Highway Tuesday, according to authorities with State Police.

Trooper Melissa Matey, spokesperson for State Police Troop B, said the accident occurred around noon Tuesday near the intersection of Airline Highway and Tiffany Drive in LaPlace. Matey said State Police was not releasing the name of the victim until family could be notified. He remains in serious condition at University Hospital in New Orleans.

Matey said the accident involved a 1998 Oldsmobile Aurora driven by Craig Nelson, 60, of New Orleans. Nelson was traveling westbound on Airline when his vehicle suddenly veered to the left, crossed the eastbound lanes and hit the cyclist, who was traveling eastbound on the eastbound shoulder. The car finally came to a stop in a ditch on the side of the road. Matey said the driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was taken to Ochsner Medical Center in Kenner with minor injuries.

The accident is still under investigation, and State Police say impairment on the part of Nelson may be a factor in the crash.

Investigators are awaiting results of a blood test.