Pensacola driver arrested after a crash that injured a bicyclist was using a false identity for decades, the FHP says

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WALA) - A bicyclist was seriously injured and a motorist was arrested after authorities say he provided a false name to law enforcement following a crash overnight in Escambia County.

The incident happened just after midnight at Rue Max Street and Barrancas Avenue, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The bicyclist, a 44-year-old Pensacola man, was transported to a local hospital for treatment of his serious injuries, the FHP said.

The driver of the minivan that struck the bicyclist is a 54-year-old Pensacola man, and he is being held in the Escambia County Jail on no bond awaiting extradition on an arrest warrant from 1997, officials said.

According to the highway patrol, the driver provided law enforcement with a Florida driver license that was not valid and flagged as a habitual traffic offender. The FHP said the man had been using a false name for more than 30 years.

The agency said he used the Social Security card and birth certificate he purchased from a farm worker to obtain a Florida driver license using the false name.