65-year-old cyclist found in cardiac arrest on Blue Ridge Parkway dies, NC rangers say
A 65-year-old cyclist found in cardiac arrest along the Blue Ridge Parkway died, park rangers said.
Stewart Parsons was riding a bike on the mountainous North Carolina thoroughfare when “he fell to the road shoulder.” Drivers rushed to administer CPR to Parsons, who had been riding at the end of a cycling group at the time of the fall, according to the National Park Service.
First responders were called at about 3 p.m. May 4 and found Parsons experiencing cardiac arrest, which means his heart wasn’t beating. He later was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said in a news release.
Park rangers said Parsons was a tourist from Midhurst, Ontario, Canada, a town roughly 70 miles northwest of Toronto.
Parsons’ “medical emergency” was reported at the Blue Ridge Parkway’s mile marker 430. The area is near the Richland Balsam Overlook, which has an elevation of 6,053 feet — the highest on the parkway.
In all, the parkway stretches 469 miles through the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia. People flock there to see fall colors and other mountain scenery, making it the most popular national park site in 2022, data shows.
This story was originally published May 5, 2023 at 11:29 AM with the headline "65-year-old cyclist found in cardiac arrest on Blue Ridge Parkway dies, NC rangers say."
