Tragic Thanksgiving hit-and-run claims life of beloved DeKalb County cyclist

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A DeKalb County family is still in mourning after their loved one was cycling and struck by a car and left for dead on Thanksgiving.

Barry Collier was in the intensive care unit at Grady Memorial Hospital for six days, but ultimately died from injuries. His family is devastated, and police are looking for the culprit.

"Be safe. Have a good ride and I love you," those were the last words Rashida Collier said to her father on Thanksgiving afternoon.

Barry Collier's family says they were excited about getting together and preparing a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

The 75-year-old retired Norfolk Southern engineer had cooked the turkey and collard greens and was going out for a quick ride on Crossvale Road before the big dinner.

His daughter, Rashida, got an alert on her phone as soon as the hit-and-run occurred about 1:30 p.m.

She rushed to the scene to find her father was severely injured.

"I was full of anxiety. I felt like I couldn't help him. I felt powerless.

"He broke his neck and his back," Collier said.

His family says he didn't deserve what happened, and they want the hit-and-run driver who kept going arrested.

"Even if it was an accident, and they didn't mean to hit him, I wished they would have stayed and not left him on the side of the road. He didn't deserve that," Collier remarked.

Police are trying to find the hit-and-run driver. The Collier family says surveillance video shows a blue sedan was involved.