A woman was killed in a Newhall crash this morning, apparently for no other reason than she was riding a bicycle.
According to The Signal, the victim was struck by a driver around 7:05 this morning at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and 15th Street. She was transported to a local hospital, where she died.
She was publicly identified only as a 62-year old woman pending notification of relatives.
The victim was riding on Railroad at the time of the crash; there’s no word on where the person who struck her was driving, or how the crash occurred.
Initial reports had said the victim was a pedestrian, or a man in his 50s.
Photos from the scene appear to show a teal and yellow cruiser bike; debris was left strewn across the roadway.
A street view shows a four-lane road with a single left turn lane and wide parking lanes on Railroad; 15th ends at Railroad with a signalized intersection.
This is at least the tenth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth I’m aware of in Los Angeles County
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all her loved ones.
Thanks to Sindy Saito for the heads-up.
The impact damage is consistent with an impact from a left-turning vehicle hitting the rear wheel with not too fast a closing speed and the debris field indicated the vehicle continued to the right of the cyclist while the bicycle was spun around violently. The location of the cycle combined with the angle of impact suggests the cyclist had cleared the intersection before impact. The death suggests the cyclist was struck after getting thrown from the bike during the initial impact.
Getting hit from behind after clearing the intersection strongly indicates motor vehicle was at fault.
Our prayers go up for the family and friends of the victim.