A bicyclist was transported to the hospital with minor injuries after being struck by an SUV in Cottonwood Heights on Friday morning.

The 42-year-old driver of a Nissan Pathfinder was eastbound on 7200 South when he tried to turn north on Highland Drive around 7:30 a.m., said Beau Babka, a spokesman for the Cottonwood Heights Police Department.

Police believe sunlight blinded the driver from seeing the bicyclist crossing the road. The SUV hit the bicyclist, who was transported to Intermountain Medical Center to be treated for injuries. The bicyclist, a man between the ages of 45 and 50, was released from the hospital later Friday, Babka said.

Babka said the driver was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs and the incident appears to be an accident.

"It was just a horrible mistake," Babka said.

-- Melinda Rogers