DANA POINT : Witnesses to Possible Hit and Run Sought

Sheriff’s Department traffic investigators are seeking the public’s assistance in locating witnesses to a possible hit-and-run accident that left a bicyclist hospitalized.

Stephen C. Balcom, 19, of San Clemente was found lying on Coast Highway at 5:48 p.m. Thursday by a passing motorist, who called 911, sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Bob Rivas said.

Balcom remained unconscious Friday at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, suffering from a broken leg, fractures to his face and internal injuries, Rivas said.

“So far, we have no real witnesses,” Rivas said. “We are really trying to find out more about what happened. We need assistance.”

Although Rivas said that investigators have not ruled out the possibility that Balcom fell off his bike, he said that “we’re investigating it as a possible hit and run.”

Rivas said that a preliminary investigation has concluded only that Balcom was riding his bike north along Coast Highway in the city’s Capistrano Beach section.

He was spotted lying in the road, with his undamaged bicycle a few feet away.

“Other than that, we don’t know anything,” Rivas said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at (714) 249-5200 and request the traffic division.