Georgia man dies in a ditch after hit-and-run driver calls state rep friend instead of calling 911

Eric Keais was 38-years-old when he was hit by a vehicle while riding his bike in Cedartown, Georgia, only to be left to die in a ditch when the person driving the car drove off without stopping and calling 9-11. But as The Reveal reports, the driver was 37-year-old Ralph “Ryan” Dover III and he did call someone. That someone was attorney and Georgia State Representative Trey Kelley, who was a friend of Dover's.

According to a report obtained by The Reveal, Dover told police that "at first, he didn't know what he hit and then said it could have been a deer or possibly a person."

But Polk County Coroner Tony Brazier isn't buying it.

“The best-case scenario, let’s say, ‘OK, [Dover] told [Rep. Kelley], 'I hit a dog or a deer.' Are you going to drive a mile away and call a lawyer? No," Brazier said.

Not only did Dover not call 9-11, Rep. Kelley also didn’t call 9-11. He did, however, tell police he "saw a bicycle at the side of the road."

As Eric was in the ditch dying, Kelley told police he "observed a bicycle on the side of the road and immediately called [Cedartown Police] Chief [Jamie] Newsome" at home.

Speaking to The Reveal, Polk County 911 said that had they gotten a call as soon as the crash happened, they could have been at the scene within five minutes and possibly saved Eric's life.

“My brother was cheated out of life, Eric's brother Aaron said. "It’s just something out of a nightmare that you wouldn’t believe that would happen. That nobody would do nothing."

Watch The Reveal's full report below: