After a violent collision between a bicycle and a tractor trailer earlier today, police re-opened a busy section of U Street NW late this morning after investigating the crash that sent the cyclist to an area hospital.

The cyclist was on a Capital Bikeshare bicycle, which wound up mangled and shattered, as seen in the photos above, which were sent in by a DCist reader who happened to witness the scene. While early reports said the cyclist was in very serious condition while being taken to the hospital, a spokesman with the Metropolitan Police Department told DCist the person’s injuries were non-life-threatening. Police had closed U Street between 10th and 12th streets NW while investigating the collision.

The Post’s Tim Craig notes that this is just the 17th collision to involve a Capital Bikeshare since its debut, or about one crash for every 90,000 rides. Still, Bikeshare or not, today’s incident is a reminder that as cycling has increased as a form of commuting for District residents over the past few years, run-ins between bikes and motor vehicles are on the rise, too. Bike-related injuries and fatalities rose 28 percent between 2009 and 2010.

It’s still not known whether the truck driver or the cyclist was at fault in today’s collision, police said.