This is not the news we wanted to start the weekend.
According to the Hi-Dessert Star, a Yucca Valley man was killed Thursday night trying to cross a busy highway.
Fifty-four year old Timothy Kraig Settles was leaving the Elks Lodge on his bike around 6:30 pm when he rode through a parking lot, then attempted to cross Twentynine Palms Highway near Bannock Trail. He was hit by a westbound 2000 Dodge Ram pickup; rescuers attempted to revive Settles, but he died at the scene.
The driver remained at the scene, and as usual, was uninjured in the collision.
This is the 14th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, compared to 11 this time last year. It’s also the first in San Bernardino County since the first of the year.
My sympathy and prayers Timothy Settles and his loved ones.
Update: A comment from JL below points out that Settles was not the first bicycling fatality in San Bernardino County after all. Fifty-six year old Kevin Olin was killed in a rear-end collision while riding in an Apple Valley bike lane on March 1st. That makes Settles death the 15th SoCal bike death this year, and the second in San Bernardino County.
Our sincere heartfelt prayers go up for the family and friends of the victim.
29 Palms Highway is a Freeway. I’m sure he was hit at speeds excess of 65 mph. There is so much that they could do to make that highway safer since its the main connector between 29 Palms, Joshua Tree and the Morongo Valley.
My condolences and sincere sympathies to his family and friends.
You are incorrect. That section of 29 Plms Hwy is downtown Yucca Valley and the speed limit is 40MPH; which means that people routinely do 50MPH and sometimes higher. I’m a local resident and one of the rescuers that provided medical care.
My deepest sympathies go out to his family. But he is not the first in San Bernardino County this year. Unfortunately, Kevin Olin, of Apple Valley, was killed on March 1st in Apple Valley. Thought you would like to know. Again, my condolences to both families.
Thanks for the correction, JL. I was unaware of Olin’s death.
By the time that I arrived on scene to provide medical care, there was already an off duty fire fighter, an off duty USN Corpman and at least 2-3 USN or USMC personnel on scene providing care. An off duty nurse also provided assistance after I was on scene.