Testimony starts in trial of man accused of killing cyclists

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The man accused of hitting and killing a father and son cycling last April went to trial today.

Trey and David Doolittle were biking down River Road when witnesses say Thomas Grooms hit them. Today, some of those witnesses took the stand. Grooms is charged with second degree murder in the case.

A 911 call played in court today told the story of just how bad an accident it was.

“He is still barely breathing,” the caller told the dispatcher of Trey Doolittle. The news was even worse about his father. “The other one. He’s gone…. His head. Half of his head is gone.”

It was a long day for witnesses of last April’s accident on River Road in Wilmington. Cyclists and drivers took the stand to tell the jury what they saw that day.

“Accident or not, you stop and you help,” Robert Miller said.

Miller was driving in front of Grooms when Grooms hit the Doolittles. Miller says he was shocked by Grooms’s reaction to the accident. He said he thought Grooms may leave the scene and that he never got out of his car to help the Doolittles.

Cyclists riding that day say Grooms passed them. They testified that Grooms passed so closely they commented on how it was a close call.

The neurosurgeon that worked on Trey Doolittle at the hospital testified as an expert witness. He said if Trey had on a helmet, it was very unlikely that it would have made any difference because of the extent of his injuries. The doctor said the only thing that could have saved Trey was a “miracle.”

The trial continues tomorrow.

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