Last week, we were told a San Diego man was expected to survive a brain injury suffered when his bike was hit by a truck in Otay Mesa.
Today, we learned he didn’t.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that 67-year old Thomas Burke died on Monday, five days after he was injured last Wednesday morning.
Burke was riding north on Beyer Boulevard near Del Sol Boulevard when he was struck by a pickup driver around 11:35 am. He was taken to a hospital in the Hillcrest neighborhood with a brain bleed and other injuries that were expected to be survivable.
Police initially said he was riding in the left of two lanes on the four lane street. However, according to the San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office, Burke was in a designated bike lane when he was run down from behind.
Which means he definitely did not come out of nowhere, as one witness said.
Just two more example why you should always take initial reports with a grain of salt. If not the entire bag.
The crash remains under investigation. But if Burke was riding in the bike lane, there should be no question who was at fault.
This is at least the 58th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and just the second that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Thomas Burke and his loved ones.
