This one doesn’t make a lot of sense.
According to the Orange County Coroner’s office, a male bike rider was killed while riding on the 5 Freeway in Santa Ana last night.
The collision took place on the southbound I-5 north of 4th Street just before 11 pm, when the rider was struck by multiple vehicles. The victim has not been publicly identified; no word on whether authorities know who he was, or if it is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
No information is given for how the collision occurred, or whether he was riding on the shoulder or in the traffic lanes. However, there is an exit ramp at 4th; if he was attempting to continue on the freeway it would have put him in the path of exiting vehicles.
And no explanation is given for what he was doing on the freeway at that hour. Or at all.
Hopefully more information will become available later that will shed light on this troubling case.
This is the 43rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the ninth in Orange County; that compares to just two in the county this time last year. And he is the fifth cyclist to be killed in Santa Ana in the last 36 months.
Update: It gets even stranger.
According to the Orange County Register, 21-year old Tustin resident Jordan Ames was riding south in the center carpool lane — not the right shoulder — when he veered in front of traffic and was hit by a Honda CRV. He was then thrown into the main traffic lanes, where he was hit multiple times.
How he even got to the car pool lane on a busy freeway — let alone what he was doing there — is still to be determined. A lot of questions will have to be answered before this one makes any sense.
Meanwhile, a commenter describes coming on the scene in the immediate aftermath of the crash. But be warned, the description is very graphic; you may not want to read it.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jordan Ames and his loved ones.
Thanks to James Johnson of Johnson Attorneys Group for the heads-up.
I passed there last night. I also thought is was highly unusual to see a bycicle mashed up infront of a honda crv. Very sad, too young to leave so soon.
*Bicycle
I was there during the time it happened . The 5fwy entrance of 55 S. That corner is a down hill lanes, cars coming really fast. This is what i saw. I was on 5 South going toward 55s on the far right lane, all of the sudden i noticed there were at least 3-4 vehicles parked on the emergency lane, as usual it was just normal to me but then i notice, someone was flashing his/her flashlight at me. I stepped on the brake paddle but the traffic float was going too fast, i couldnt stop, when i was passing by that same person was flashing the light at me, i saw a red bicycle, i swear i did saw a red bike right under the black mini suv, well at least was in the front but under.Then suddenly i i look back to the road. I screamed out loud, and i felt my van was going on a bumpy road then far in front of my Van i saw a leg, very light skin leg just the part from the knee to the ankle, my van has very high intensive fog lights. This is sad.. I froze for so long until i got home, i could not believe what i saw last night. That person must has been hit by multiple cars, because i saw body parts at least shattered 2 lanes. I hoped what i saw wasnt real, hopefully they were just something else fell on the pavement but not body parts. Hopefully my vision was wrong. Everything happened under 3-5 seconds, so sudden so fast.
Kent I do understand but yet a comment seems due. Many will wonder why if you know someone was killed it matters so much whether his parts got strewn far and wide- I wonder a bit if you doubt this is possible on a subconscious level in some denial of the reality of the amount of force, the dozens of horses or more where perhaps only one was needing to draw and quarter us in times of greater not lesser civility then now.
I do not know the area. I do though know the hazard cars pose is often tolerated despite it being a mortal threat to some innocent eventually. Many many ‘near misses’ occur routinely, and as we now step into elevators without making sure the car is there, are spoiled by past experience to the point that people still die when it’s not routinely falling far there being no car floor to step onto due to malfunction. We tell people to look- instead of getting rid of all such elevator systems capable of such ‘error’ or ‘accident.’
The exact number of people who take there lives so easily given the accessibility of death in a moment from lack of designed in actual safety is not published- only prominent hotline numbers.
We should see the line as blurry- between suicide and actual accident. It does not matter that much why he was killed in this fashion- for me the fact that it is far too easy to be run into/trn to bits matters most….
That was my brother under that car
My prayers to the family and relatives. Would the medical examiner have the power to test the victim for Ambien usage?
Presumably they’ll do a full autopsy and tox screen, which would turn up any drugs in his system. At least that would explain this totally inexplicable tragedy.
That’s actually a good point — I hadn’t thought of that. But didn’t they modify Ambien in recent months/years to reduce these occurrences?
Poppy – yes, the FDA issued a warning about a year ago for users of Ambien (Generic Zoldipem Tartrate) to cut down on their dosages. They may have reformulated to prevent abuse.
Speaking from experience (as an Insomniac) I decided to get of Ambien because of the binge eating. I wasn’t loosing weight. There is also one famous athlete now (Feb.2014) battling to get off Stilox (the Australian brand of Ambien), Grant Hackett, the Olympic distance swimmer. A youtube search will show some of -Grant’s actions-are not normal and may be attributed to Ambien. I hope he recovers. It’s been documented on the web that GABA receptor sleeping pills are not healthy and can cause bizarre behaviors. Terrible drug. Take care.
I agree, also having experience with the drug I would do things while on it and have no recollection but oddly enough I would take pictures of myself making sandwiches, or I would have phone conversations with friends that lasted 3 hours long, I would have pictures of my face in the mirror in the bathroom, part of me must have wanted to document the experience to give my waking self proof? I have a gut feeling this might not be the case with our friend. I am drawn to think “as the bird flies”. What would be the shortest path to take to get him there? But where is there?
Our prayers go up for the family and friends of Mr. Ames.
I was there when it happened, I was the “guy with the flashlight” I was going to work at around 10:52 pm on the Southbound 5,between Grand Ave exit and the 4th/1st street exit. I was in the second from right lane, the White Honda CRV was in front of me going around 60-65 mph, when she suddenly slammed on her brakes, and I saw her hit something and her left front tire blew out, she went to the right and tried for the off ramp and hit the barrels there, I followed her and passed her while I was stopping on the shoulder and that is when I saw the bike, I thought a bike had fallen off a carrier in front of her and hit her, so I got out of my car to go see if she was alright and that is when I heard that sickening “thump” coming from the freeway, I turned and that is when I saw the big rig hit that poor guy at full speed and it was not pretty, I ran to the CRV and took the phone from the driver and told the 911 operator where we were at and that no one was stopping and the cars were just hitting and hitting him. I was trying to stop traffic but it was no use. I went to the lady that was driving the CRV and she was just distraught. She said, “I saw him swerve in front of me and I tried to stop but I could not and he looked straight at me and I hit him!!” He was literally in pieces down the freeway from the exit to the 4th street bridge. CHP finally shut down the freeway and started to get the investigation going. I gave my statement and finally left about an hour later. I keep asking myself, what was he doing riding a bike on the freeway at 11 pm at night?? I said some prayers for his soul while I waited for the CHP to question me. I pray for his family having to go through this.
Thank you adding to this inexplicable story, and for doing what you could to help.
I’ll really miss my friend so much…his heart was so huge! I’ll miss u so much little bud we have had so many great times. I myself still wondering why haven’t slept in 3 day..Miss u also much…
So much
It was really hard reading this… A part of me was angry at the details.. but the missing details is what’s been eating away at me all these years… So thank you I guess. Jordan, we miss you so much.. I try and avoid that area of the 5 but recently built up the courage and drove through it and started bawling and the questions started racing.. which is how I found this thread. You’d think after 4 years this would get easier but it really really doesn’t…
There is a Carpool Only Freeway entrance off of Grand Street at Santa Ana Blvd, maybe this is how the journey began? Was he lost and took that turn by accident or was it a short cut to the destination he was going?
I am sickened to hear the details that people are writing about this tragedy. I knew this boy since he was in the womb he was the most kindhearted sweetest and talented young man you ever could have met. His mother and his father both lost their only son. This is a tragedy Beyond anything you could ever imagine. His mother does not know all of these gory details that are being printed here and I promise you she does not want to know. Please leave love and condolences for this family and leave the details of his tragic loss of life out of it. He was an angel here on earth and in heaven now. I love you Jordan and we will miss you until we see you again !!
I’m his little sister, makayla Serrano I’m so heart broken about him he was the greatest brother ever and wish he didn’t leave me I️ miss him so much and just can’t wait to see him in heaven love you Jordan! And he was on the freeway cause his friends told us that he said it was the “quicker way home”
My heart breaks every time I drive by that part of the freeway. I often thought that he might have missed the train and decided that the freeway would be easy to take home since there was that carpool entrance off Grand across from the train station. Maybe this was not the first time he had ridden his bike on a freeway so there was the knowledge that he could and no fear that he shouldn’t? There is also that carpool exit on Barranca, not sure if that is where he was headed. I can see why he came to the decision that he did but may have not thought it through entirely and didn’t realize there was the 55 overpass and the super narrow shoulder on the curve of the 5 after that on-ramp.
I imagine it was just one of those moments where you know you are doing something that is not so smart and realize it while you are doing it but by then it is too late.
I pray for you and your family all the time. My life has changed and my perspective on life has changed because of you Jordan.