This has got to stop.
For the fourth time in the last four days, bike rider has been killed in a SoCal collision, this time in Ventura County.
According to the Ventura County Star, a man was hit by a box truck while riding his bike in the Meiners Oaks area of the Ojai Valley just before 1:30 pm Tuesday, as the driver was leaving a private parking lot on East El Roblar Drive east of Felix Drive.
The victim was taken to the Ventura County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. His identification has been withheld pending notification of next of kin.
The driver remained at the scene.
There’s no word on where the victim was on the road or which direction he was riding, or which direction the driver was turning. A street view shows a two lane roadway with a parking lane on either side and a 25 mph speed limit, though that would not seem to be a factor in this case.
Anyone with information is urged to call 477-4100.
This is the ninth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second in Ventura County.
Update: The victim has been identified as 61-year old Ojai resident Christopher Angelos.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Christopher Angelos and his loved ones.
It’s not just texting while driving; it’s fumbling with your google maps app and watching it rather than the road; it’s fumbling with Opandora, Spotify; the phone; MLB at Bat; Sirius XM , and juggling the burger, fries, and large drink.
Road riding is Russian roulette, pure and simple. The cyclist can do everything right and still be at the complete mercy of overtaking motorists the cyclist can’t control and often can’t even see. Most days, luck holds. But luck can run out at any instant.
We offer up our prayers for the family and friends of the victim.
No where is safe anymore.
If only there was a way to make hitting a pedestrian or cyclist as dangerous for the driver as it is for the vulnerable road user.
Oh – it is with shock and sorrow that I heard about my friend Chris – killed in an accident on Tuesday. Such a terrible loss to our little community!
So sorry for you loss, Jacques. If you want, feel free to tell us about him; there’s nothing in the news stories to let us know who he was.
I drove past the accident scene not realizing it was my friend Chris in the ambulance. Shockingly sad. I have yet to hear the details. He was only a half mile from home. Maybe a helmit would have helped. A wonderful friend who conscientiously biked around town rather than drive, and this was his fate. Sucks. He will be missed by many.
I found accident details on the Ventura County Star website from a CHP report. Chris was struck by a truck exiting the hardware store parking lot, fell under the vehicle and was run over by the rear wheels. “Russian roulette”–that fits. This driver must be arrested and prosecuted, as he would be had he pulled out of a driveway into traffic, hit another vehicle and killed a passenger!
Sorry for the loss of your friend, Nancy. Based on your description, it seems highly unlikely a helmet would have made any difference. Let’s hope the driver is held accountable.
Thanks for the kind words and thoughts.