My biggest fear when I agreed to surgery on my arm and hand was that someone would lose their life riding a bike, and I wouldn’t be able to write about the victim.
Which is exactly what happened in Malibu.
And not once, but twice.
The first came when three men were crossing Pacific Coast Highway just west of Busch Drive around 10:35 pm on Easter Sunday, one of whom was apparently walking a bicycle.
According to the Malibu Times, the man with the bike was struck and killed by a driver headed west on PCH.
A few moments later, one of his companions was struck and killed by a second driver as he scrambled to collect the victim’s belongings from the roadway.
Both men apparently died at the scene, just minutes apart. According to the paper, there have now been three people killed at the same spot in recent years.
Six days later, another man was killed while riding his bike at PCH and Corral Canyon.
The crash occurred sometime after dark on Saturday, April 10th.
The victim was riding without lights or reflectors when he was run down by a driver headed east on PCH at 51 mph, as recorded on the vehicle’s black box. He was knocked onto the other side of the highway, where he may have been struck by another driver.
There’s no word on whether the victim was riding on PCH or trying to cross the street. There’s also no word on whether the second driver remained at the scene.
Unfortunately, no identification was given for any of the victims, other than the first two men were homeless, while the third may have been.
But they all deserved better.
These are at least the 18th and 19th bicycling fatalities in Southern California this year, and the fourth and fifth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.
They are also just two of at least five people killed on PCH in Malibu since early March, along with another pedestrian and the driver of an SUV who went off the road.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for all the victims and their loved ones.
Thanks to Valley Duke for the heads-up.
Yay! You’re typing some!