A bad weekend just keeps getting worse, as a bike rider was killed in a solo fall in Palm Springs this morning.
According to Palm Springs Patch, the victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding on a bike path on the 3100 block of East Palm Canyon Drive around 8:38 am when he somehow lost control of his bike. He veered down an embankment, and landed head-first on the pavement at the bottom.
He was pronounced dead at Desert Regional Medical Center.
A satellite view shows a separated bike path on the east side of the street, with a drop off leading to the parking lot next to it.
No word on whether the victim was wearing a helmet. However, relatively slow speed falls, like this appears to be, are exactly what bike helmets are designed to protect against.
This is the fifth bicycling fatality this year; remarkably, it is already the third death in Riverside County — or four if you count Phil Richards, who died yesterday of injuries he suffered in a Calimesa hit-and-run December 29th.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
We offer up our prayers for the family and friends of Mr. Richards and the victim of this latest accident.