The bad news just keeps on coming.
The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that a 63-year old man riding a “battery-assisted bicycle” has been killed in a collision in San Diego’s Barrio Logan neighborhood.
Evidently, they’ve never heard of an ebike.
According to police, the victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding west on Harbor Drive near Beardsley Street around 9:30 this morning when he swerved to go around a box truck.
He reportedly struck the right front fender of a Dodge Charger traveling in the left lane, and was thrown across the car’s hood.
He died at the scene.
Police say there’s no evidence of intoxication, even though there’s not a single mention of a driver, as if the Charger was driving itself.
There’s also no word on how fast the driver was going; it seems unlikely that simply crashing into the side of the car would throw the victim over the hood.
There’s also no word on whether the truck was parked in the bike lane on Harbor or traveling in the right lane. And no explanation where the victim was riding prior to the crash.
This is at least the 45th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
He is also the seventh bike rider to die on SoCal streets just this month.
Update: Raw video from the scene shows the car, with a shattered windshield, but no visible damage on the right front side where police say the victim’s bike struck the car.
I’m not embedding the video because it shows the victim’s body in the roadway covered by a tarp, as well as his broken bicycle. So be sure you really want to see that before you click the link.
Thanks to T for the link.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
Very sad. That’s in the missing link of the Bayshore Bikeway where a Class I bike path has just begun construction. Until that’s completed it’s better to ride here on weekends when there’s not as many parked or moving vehicles in this industrial area.
Question: last time I rode century from OC to DTSD, the bike route on PCH thru La Jolla then took me east of 5, Morena, thru Old Town, then under the 5(back to west of 5) to Kettner, down to Santa Fe Depot. Now there’s a new route that never crosses over 5, that follows along Mission Bay. How is that route in regards to traffic, safety, well marked?
If you mean the new path that goes from Gillman Dr to Rose Creek, it’s a nice path. You still go under the 5, but more North by the In n Out in Pacific Beach. Around Mission Bay and then onto death trap PCH past Old Town train station to get downtown.
Dunno where Rose Creek is? So it’s safer then previous route on Morena? Morena would be scary as single/double but we had pack to occupy lane. It looks ok on Google maps along Mission Bay Dr/Bayside Bikeway up to Old PCH? So it’s sketchy on PCH? Any bypass suggestions, or that’s only way if committed to new bike path? Cuz Old Town are tight lanes, but seems safe if you occupy the lane, and then cut under freeway to Kettner(one way street).
Google Maps knows it.
I watched the video, and aside from a missing seat on the bike I saw relatively little damage to either vehicle. It was almost as if the car hit the rider but not the bike. I also saw slight damage to the very front of the fender-hood area, almost “That’ll buff out” levels of damage, very freaky. I’ve never seen a fatal wreck with so little damage to the weapon vehicle.
The bike was going fast and in same direction so impact was with road etc. Not initial ‘tripping’ contact?
Video shows license plate and commenter claims car is notoriously driven. The video also has noise pollution that could of contributed blinding bike to aggressive acceleration of car or driver hearing bike. Someone else claimed to be there but likely not literal.
It was apparently a analog bike with a conversion that had verbal nuance.
Is it a violation to charge advertisers for use of your video? I think there is a policy. The channel owner comments are smug unkind entitled not likely to encourage law firm to remain on videos. Nor should those with such videos rush to a host.
Picking lawfirm from finding them during initial days will deny you claim against railroad ETC that real diligence might bring.
That bicyclist killed was my brother. It don’t make sense the way there describing the accident and how it happened. I know that area and there’s got to be a few camera’s around there that caught what happened.
Condolences…. I have searched for an American adult sibling traffic death support site but only found many foreign ones you might get frustrated by.
There is a recent article addressing your complaint however in great depth.
https://slate.com/business/2022/05/media-car-crashes-washington-post-pedestrians.html
Please do all you can to advocate for accuracy regarding your brother which means getting others who have gone thru what you are going thru involved directly somehow with you.
Your Sharing here your finding has me spend time this morning trying to help you but I am not you. Budget time now and over long haul to come. Expect resistance when you enquire but persist.
So sorry!!!!