Word is just coming in that a bike rider was killed in Downey last night.
According to the Downey Beat, a bicyclist was struck and killed by a vehicle around 9:30 Friday night on the 10600 block of Lakewood Blvd, between Florence Ave and Firestone Blvd; the victim appeared to be male.
The driver remained at the scene. No other information is available at this time.
This is the 27th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 13th in LA County. That compares with 45 this time last year in the seven county SoCal region, and 18 in the county.
It’s just the second fatal bicycling collision in Downey in the last five years.
Update: The Press-Telegram has identified the victim as 69-year old Downey resident Adel Mikhail.
Raw video footage from the scene places the collision near the intersection of Lakewood and Muller St. (Warning: The video may be hard to take, as it shows the victim’s body being covered.)
There’s a white car stopped in the left lane, with damage to the right side and windshield; his body appears to be in the roadway directly ahead of the car. The victim’s bike is off to the right, apparently without lights, though it’s possible they may be hidden or turned off.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Adel Mikhail and his loved ones.
We offer up our prayers for the family and friends of the victim.