A cyclist was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries after he was struck by a minivan just south of Missoula.

The accident happened around 5 p.m. on Highway 93 South between Blue Mountain Road and Hayes Creek Road.

Traffic was backed up as a result of the incident.

Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Andrew Novak said an ambulance with lights and sirens on was traveling south responding to an emergency.  The driver of the van was trying to yield to the ambulance and didn't see the cyclist traveling alongside a box truck.

Despite the severe injuries sustained, Novak said the 42-year-old Lolo man was alert and oriented at the hospital.

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