Breaking News: 16-year old bike rider killed in Florence hit-and-run

Ghost bike being prepared for Adrian Chavez Jr; photo by Danny Gamboa.

Ghost bike being prepared for Adrian Chavez Jr; photo by Danny Gamboa.

Word is just coming in that a bike rider was killed in a hit-and-run in the Florence neighborhood in South LA yesterday.

According to the Daily News, the 16-year old victim, whose name has not been released, was riding south on the 6700 block of Converse Ave when he was hit by an unidentified vehicle around 3:35 pm. The driver was reportedly speeding, and apparently hit the victim with the side of his car before fleeing.

The victim suffered major injuries, and died at a nearby hospital.

No other information is available at this time.

This is the 33rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 14th in the County of Los Angeles; that compares to nine in the county this time last year. He is also the 4th bike rider to die in the City of LA this year — two of which have been hit-and-runs.

Update: The victim has been identified as Adrian Chavez Jr.

Correction: Due to a database error, there was an error in the fatality totals in the initial version of this story. The last paragraph has been corrected to reflect the actual totals.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Adrian Chavez Jr and his family.

Thanks to Danny Gamboa for the heads-up.

……..

Note: As tragic as this case is, and as frightening as it is to read about things like this, let’s not forget that bicycling is a relatively safe activity. Your risk of suffering any kind of injury requiring medical attention on any given ride is just one in 77,000; the risk of death is only one in 6.3 million. And you are twice as likely to be killed in a motor vehicle as you are on a bike on an hourly basis.

So don’t let stories like this scare you off your bike. Let’s all focus on riding safely and defensively, and encouraging motorists to do the same so every bike rider can return home safely, every time.

And lets do whatever we can to get dangerous drivers off the streets and bring heartless cowards like this who leave their victims bleeding in the street to justice, and ensure they never drive again.

 

6 comments

  1. grrlyrida says:

    Thanks Ted for keeping us informed and adding that last paragraph. It’s easy for me to succumb to fear and not want to ride my bike. Instead I try to empower myself with action. Whether it’s volunteering for organization working to make our streets safer, holding elected officials accountable or writing about the small changes we all can make, I’ll work toward that goal instead of hanging up my bike.

  2. JD says:

    Our prayers go up for the family and friends of the victim.

  3. Richard says:

    For some of us the chance per hour and trip, per family and town, of not merely being a casualty by not driving a car but of inflicting such evil on others is all important. If we do not want to be killed by a car then we should follow the golden rule in rational faith and not drive even before we ourselves personally have killed even one more person. Having killed plenty so far as well as the planet we ride all we need to do is take a break from killing one or more persons at a time by ignition reckless and banal even if only tesla simulated. Sober driving needlessly is the most consummately evil driving there is.

  4. Mike O. says:

    Adrian Chavez Jr was raised by a single mother of 2. If there is anyone who wants to help the family out with any donation here is a link to the site where you can donate. Every dollar counts. Thanks.

    http://www.gofundme.com/8gjnh8

  5. kay says:

    R.I.P cousin )”:
    I love you a lot
    Thankz to all that helped us with the donation

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