Heartbreaking news from Orange County, as a young boy has been killed riding his bike in Newport Beach.
According to multiple sources, the boy was riding his bike at East 15th Street and Fullerton Ave around 1:30 this afternoon when he was struck by a garbage truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Daily Pilot reports he was eight-years old, while other sources list his age as between five and eight. According to KTLA-5, the truck belongs to Stanton-based waste and recycling company CR&R Environmental Services.
The location appears to be a typical residential neighborhood just a few blocks from Newport Heights Elementary School.
No other information is available at this time.
This is the 39th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh in Orange County. It’s also at least the 12th in Newport Beach since 2010.
Update: The Orange County Register confirms that the boy, who has not been publicly identified, was a third grade student at Newport Heights Elementary. Police say there is no evidence that the driver was impaired or speeding.
Update 2: The Daily Pilot has identified the victim as Brock McCann, a third-grader at Newport Heights Elementary School, whose family lives near where he was killed.
The paper also places the collision site at 15th and Michael Place, just southeast of the original location. He had apparently gotten out of school just 15 minutes earlier, and was riding or walking his bike home.
A gofundme account has raised over $44,000 of the $100,000 goal.
Meanwhile, the LA Times reports that three bike riders and three pedestrians were involved in crashes nearby between 2010 and 2015.
And the Orange County Register says the CHP is still looking for witnesses; anyone with information is urged to cal CHP Officer Jeff Jones at 714/567-6000.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Brock McCann and his family.
Thanks to John Dammann and Jeffrey Fylling for the heads-up.
What a tragedy! The KTLA article mentions video, but not its source. Hopefully the family gets someone to send the company a demand to preserve any video. The fact that he was pinned under the cab raises the question whether the driver was really paying attention while turning. And the bike is way under the truck, which makes it appear that the truck remained in motion after the child was hit, rather than stop. It seems unlikely that a helmet would have saved him. Deepest condolences to his family.
Our prayers go up for the family and the friends of the young victim.
This is the worst possible news. I am so sorry for the family.
Have a look at a nearby street: https: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6201829,-117.9168968,3a,75y,18.85h,63.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSTARBJndpelRG3Fg-JeTIw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
This is what unethical, criminally negligent traffic engineering looks like. You will never see cars not parked in the bike lanes around here. Elsewhere in the area you will find bike lanes designed specifically to get cyclists out of the way of cars on narrow residential streets and into a 2 foot wide space next to parked cars on streets should have been turned into traffic calmed neighborhood streets, not two lane high speed arterials.
Regardless of good practice or good design informed by evidence, emperical or anecdotal, bike lanes in the area of designed to force cyclists onto the sidewalk at intersections and cyclists are encouraged to pedestrianize themselves and use the cross walk at intersections. Of course when they are hit by cars rolling through a red light or running a stop sign the cyclist will be blamed for riding the the cross walk. Some streets even have concrete bike lane diverters that force you into the cross walk.
Why the hell are the trash out gathering trash at a time when they know kids are getting out of school ? 1-130pm is prime time on wednesdays for all kids in NMUSD to get out of school on wednesdays! For all the money this city of Newport Beach brags about having, why isn’t there a bike lane on 15th street? This is all ridiculous and someone needs to start a petition!
Trash should be picked up during school hours between 815 and 230 and 815 and 1230 on wednesdays! This needs to change! and what else needs to change is cars being able to turn right at the same time the crosswalk says it safe to walk!! How about a yellow flashing light for the cars to use caution when turning right, instead of a green light?! If someone in planning and roadwork would have thought ahead, and been more aware, this horrible tragedy would not have happened to Brock Mccan and other kids that have had their precious lives cut short. Something needs to change!!! Please join me in a petition to make changes on right on red and bike lanes new schools. Lets prevent any future tragedies.
My condolences to the family.
There might be some legal recourse for the family if it can
be shown that the city isn’t enforcing the bike lanes.
Instead of enforcement how about empowering tow truck drivers, see it, tow it?