A driver who apparently didn't realize she struck a bicyclist on Madison's west side Tuesday morning dragged the bicyclist a short distance before a truck driver blocked the SUV, forcing it to stop.

After the woman who was driving the SUV stopped, Madison police reported, she sped away when she realized there was someone under her SUV before crashing into a parked car a few blocks away and speeding away once again.

The hit-and-run crash was reported at 8:48 a.m. on Whitney Way near the Beltline, the Madison Police Department reported.

According to a police report, the 23-year-old female bicyclist was north on Whitney Way when she was struck by a dark blue Dodge Durango that had just exited the Beltline.

"Witnesses said the driver of the Durango appeared to be clueless that she just hit a bicyclist or that the victim was now beneath her SUV," said police spokesman Joel DeSpain.

Police said the driver kept driving with the victim under the SUV, even though several citizens tried to get her to stop.

"It wasn't until the driver of a Roto-Rooter truck positioned his vehicle directly in front of the Durango that the woman finally hit her brakes," DeSpain said. "When she realized the victim was under the vehicle, she sped off."