More bad news, in what is turning out to be a very bad weekend for SoCal cyclists.
According to the Huntington Beach Police Department, a 54-year old bike rider was found lying in the street on the 5100 block of Skylark Drive around 12:30 pm this past Thursday.
The unconscious victim, whose name has been withheld pending notification of next of kin, was transported to UCI Medical Center in critical condition. Sadly, he died earlier today, apparently without regaining consciousness.
HBPD officers had found him near a red and black Specialized road bike. They believe he was riding west on Skylark when he lost control of his bike for undetermined reasons and fell to the ground, striking his head.
He was not wearing a helmet.
The report says no other vehicle appeared to be involved, and the site was free of any obvious hazards; a street view shows a wide, flat and unobstructed street.
Of course, it’s always possible for a close pass by a car, or for an animal or some other object, to cause a fall, without actually making contact or damaging the bike.
Anyone with information is urged to call Huntington Beach Police Accident Investigator Josh Page at 714/536-5670 or Accident Investigator Bob Barr at 714/536-5663; call 714/960-8825 after hours or on weekends.
This is the 28th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth in Orange County; that compares to nine in the county this time last year. And also the 12th bike-related death in Huntington Beach since December, 2010.
Update: The victim has been identified on Facebook as Steve McDonald; a memorial ride will be held in his memory on Saturday.
An email identifies him as a Masters racer new to the 55/60 age group, and reports that the fall may have been the result of a broken chain.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Steve McDonald and his family.
Thanks to Calvin Design for the first link, and Cleave Law for the update.
We offer our prayers for the family and friends of the cyclist.