News is just breaking that someone on a bicycle was killed in a hit-and-run in LA’s Griffith Park this afternoon.
According to KCBS-2, the victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, was stuck by a driver shortly before 4 pm, in the 4600 block of Crystal Springs Drive.
They were dead by the time first responders arrived at 4:54 pm.
The driver fled on foot; KCBS reported on air that he or she had been captured by police.
There is no information on how the crash occurred.
Video from the scene shows two cars, one with a shattered windshield and apparently missing a wheel; a broken white road bike lies in the center of the street some distance up the road.
The station reports the victim had just left a bicycling event in the park, which may have been the AIDS/LifeCycle SoCal Day on the Ride. Another comment suggested he or she was just a mile from the finish line when he was killed.
Hopefully we’ll learn more later.
This is at least the 30th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the tenth this year in Los Angeles County.
Eleven of those deaths have been hit-and-runs.
Update: The victim reportedly was a man in his 70s. The driver appeared to be under the influence, following his arrest by park rangers.
Update 2: AIDS/LifeCycle has identified the victim as Andrew Jelmert, a five-time participant in the annual fundraising ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
UPDATE 3: WeHo Times cites participants in the AIDS/LifeCycle ride expressing shock at Jelmert’s death, with one saying the driver passed him at an estimated 80 mph just moments before the crash, despite the park’s 25 mph speed limit.
According to the site, Jelmert had worked as a real estate agent and investor for over 30 years.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Andrew Jelmert and all his loved ones.
Thanks to Lionel Mares and Metaverse HOA President for the heads-up.
So very sorry to hear this. My deepest condolences to the family and friends of the cyclist.
From a fellow ALC participant.
I think they should start working on shutting down Crystal Springs to regular car traffic. No great reason to have such a high-capacity commuter cut through in our city’s Central Park.
Rest in peace to the victim of the crash. Justice for their family.
Agree. Certainly at least do some serious traffic calming engineering.
I am so sorry to hear of this. It takes a selfless person to do this ride. It takes a selfish act by someone to end it all. The car involved was seen racing at high speeds in a 25mile zone just prior to taking this cyclist life.
My condolences to the family and friends of the person killed. Tragic and senseless. 🙁
The City of LA should put a protected bicycle lane on that portion of Crystal Springs and shrink the street down to one lane in each direction. Maybe one side could be restricted while the other side combines north and south traffic. That, and the City needs to actually enforce the speed limit. I regularly see people ripping through that area well over the 25 MPH posted speed limit, even near the pony rides and playgrounds. Like WTH people!
Yes, I bike here all the time and people fly through so fast, easily doing 40-50mph in a 25mph zone. I’ve never once seen someone pulled over for speeding.
OMG, may that rider rip if he/she was with ALC
I see my comment was double posted and I lost a comment today to latest blog about this so make it now again here noting the 4/18/22 duplicate “Aaron reply” comment below should be deleted!
Require via traffic cameras those who drive thru park spend a minimum of time there or lose car/license.
If the speed limit is 25, and they exit after traveling over a mile a minute as calculated by entry to exit distance and duration between two, that’s not what Park is for!
This is trivial to enforce and the legislature is in session. Should five minute per mile be rule for cars? Two minutes or less is over 30 mph. It is not necessary to require people stop, or park outside park. Not even necessary they leave from same access point they entered.
Requiring they spend multiple minutes for the necessary miles the shortest route they could of taken requires is negligent to not have been policy over a decade.
The killer did try to outrun the park police on foot. our inaction on this treasure not being an extra highway lane is even more mockable than that.
So sad to hear this.I sponsored a Aids/LifeCycle rider this year in his fundraising efforts.Peace to the family & friends of the rider.RIP.
I am beside myself with grief. I did not go to the AIDS/LifeCycle Day on the Ride event on Saturday, April 16, 2022, but I am president of Different Spokes Bicycling Club of Southern California and one of the co-captains of our club’s AIDS/LifeCycle team. Andy Jelmert was a member of our club and a participant in our AIDS/LifeCycle team. I am a subscriber to this blog and saw this post on BikinginLA when I woke up Sunday morning. It wasn’t until later in the day that I found out that the person who was killed was my friend, team mate and club member. I will miss Andy.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Bryan. I can only imagine the pain it must cause. My heart goes out to you, and all those who knew Andy.
May his memory forever be a blessing
post is SPAM! (not merely ghoulishly insensitive that remark was intended to be proof of human ironically!)
Is nowhere safe to ride? 25mph speed limit. A bike lane as wide as a car, and still this happens.
They should reduce Crystal Springs to one lane in each direction, make the other a protected bike path and name it after Andy Jelmert.