League City father suffers broken jaw, ribs after bike hit-and-run accident

LEAGUE CITY, Texas (KTRK) -- A League City father is counting his blessings after a hit-and-run accident left him badly injured, but thankful to be alive.

Michael Pomes was riding his bicycle to work Wednesday when a driver in an SUV hit him and took off around 11 a.m.

Michael was crossing the intersection of Hobbs Road and FM-518 when the vehicle went to turn right on to FM-518 and struck him.

"All I could think to do was protect my head," Michael recalled.

A witness on the scene, who also called 911, says the suspect pulled into the Taco Bell at the intersection, began to get out of their vehicle, but then got back in and drove away.

Michael was taken by ambulance to HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake where he learned he suffered four broken ribs, a fractured upper and lower jaw, and eight chipped or missing teeth.

"I knew my mouth was a mess," Michael said. "I put my hand up there and little pieces of teeth were coming out of my mouth. It was terrible."

Michael has been in the hospital since the incident, but is expected to be sent home Saturday.

"I've got a lot of dental work still left to go," Michael said. "All in all, I'm so lucky I'm still here. I'm breathing."

Ironically, because of the adrenaline of the situation, Michael said he initially thought he was fine and could just ride his surprisingly undamaged bike home.

"It's crazy now, but I was telling the ambulance paramedics that I thought I could just ride my bike home and go to the doctor on my own," he recalled. "That was crazy because I needed help."

Now, he said he's thankful he listened to them and took his injuries seriously.

"I was thinking [if I rode my bike home], 'How long was I going to get down the road before I just fell over?'" Michael said with a chuckle.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, Michael's wife and three children were unable to be by his side in the hospital initially.

Devastated Michael was injured and the driver was still on the loose, his wife, Lisa Pomes, made a post on her Facebook asking anyone with information to come forward.

After the post gained over 700 shares, a League City police officer reached out to Lisa and let her know the suspect had turned themself in.

That wasn't the only good news to come out of the viral post, which now has over 1,000 shares. The Pomes family was also placed in touch with the good Samaritan that called 911 and helped Michael after the incident.

"I really want to thank everyone out there for sharing the Facebook post," Michael said. "It allowed us to find out about the person who called 911."

Michael and Lisa had a special message for good Samaritan Jenice Williams.

"Jenice, I want to thank you for stopping. I can't thank you enough," Michael said. "I look forward to meeting you again when I'm all fixed up."

Although Michael has a long road to recovery, the Pomes family is thankful justice can be served and he wasn't more severely injured.

Despite his injuries, Michael says he's not going to let the incident stop him from enjoying his bike rides to work after he recovers. It will just be different.

"You're really at the mercy of all those cars out there," he said. "A bike is no match for a car."

A family friend set up a GoFundMe to help pay for Michael's medical bills.