A 73-year-old Brookville man on a bicycle was killed Tuesday afternoon when he was struck by a van at or near North Diamond Mill and Air Hill roads.

The accident occurred just before 5 p.m. and the impact involving Cecil Rankin Jr. and the black Dodge Ram van that hit him severely damaged the windshield and front end of the vehicle, and left the crumpled bike along the side of the road.

According to a preliminary investigation by the Ohio Highway Patrol, Rankin was on the Wolf Creek bike trail and rode out from behind a building or structure and began to cross Diamond Mill as the van was coming over a hill.

The driver of the van could not stop in time, according to the patrol. Rankin was not wearing a helmet.

Rankin’s body has been taken to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office. The name of the driver has not been released.

No charges have been filed as the cause of the accident remains under investigation, according to the patrol, which shut down traffic for several hours to conduct an investigation.