Archive for Injuries and Fatalities

Update: Cyclist killed by alleged DUI driver in Sunset Beach identified as 52-year old Long Beach resident

July 28, 2012 / / 75 comments

More bad news.

Word is just coming in that yet another Southern California bicyclist has been killed — the 13th to die on SoCal streets this month alone.

According to a report from KTLA-5, the cyclist, who has not yet been publicly identified, was riding on northbound Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach when he was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver around 4:19 pm Saturday.

The collision occurred at the intersection of 8th Street and PCH in the Sunset Beach district. Emergency responders found the victim lying unconscious and seriously injured in the middle of the roadway; he was declared dead at the scene.

No word yet on how the collision occurred, however, police arrested the driver, Becki Lee James of Huntington Beach, on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Anyone with information is urged to call police at 714/536-5670.

This is the 42nd cycling fatality in Southern California this year, and 7th in Orange County; the victim is also the 6th cyclist killed by a suspected drunk driver in SoCal this year.

My prayers and sympathy for the victim and his family.

Update: An anonymous source has identified the victim as 52-year old Kenneth Prevatte, which has just been confirmed by the Orange County Register; the Register says he’s from Long Beach. A comment from Allan indicates that he was wearing full road kit when he was killed, suggesting that he may have been an experienced road rider.

My source indicates that Becki James was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI causing great bodily injury & gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and has already been released from custody.

Update 2: A comment from Boyonabike reminds us that Prevatte’s death comes just a little over a month after Roger Lippman was killed while riding on PCH, and five months since Ernest Klein died in a collision on Bolsa Ave — making this the 3rd fatal cycling collision in Huntington Beach in less than six months.

It also points a bloody finger at the beachside city, with a population of less than 200,000. as one of the most dangerous places in Southern California to ride a bike. As a comparison, San Diego, with twice as many deaths this year, has over six times the population.

Meanwhile, a comment from Jeff Keller offers more details on the collision.

As clarification, the cyclist and vehicle were driving southbound on PCH. This happened a few hundred feet from a party we were attending. The cyclist was laying near a parked car, not the middle of the street. His bike was on the sidewalk, mangled and unrecognizable. The vehicle that hit him stopped a few feet away. I did not see any skidmarks. If she stopped in the path that she hit him, she was 2-3 feet to the right of the right lane line, putting her in the path of the “bike lane”. It appeared his head hit the top of the passenger’s window, near the roof line. Sadly and disturbing, the driver’s emotions were muted. Not of someone that just killed an innocent human.

And Kenneth Prevatte’s sister writes to tell us a little bit about who he was, and the family he leaves behind.

My name is Michelle, I am Kenneth’s sister. I live in North Carolina and our family is devastated by his death. Thank you for your posts, any information is so appreciated as we piece together this tragedy. My brother was an experienced cyclist, extremely cautious, and conscientious. He leaves behind a loving wife, whom he just wed last July, a beautiful infant son, 2 sons and a daughter all in college, parents, a sister and many more loved ones. He was such a good, good man, words cannot express the depths of this loss. I hope that his death will not be in vain and something can be done to protect cyclists in your beautiful part of our country.

Update 3: A source who has spoken with paramedics on the scene says that Prevatte most likely died instantly of severe head trauma, despite wearing a helmet, and was unlikely to have experienced any pain or possibly even known what was happening. Thank God for small favors, anyway.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

Man walking killed while walking bicycle in Lytle Creek; 12th bike-related fatality this month

July 24, 2012 / / 4 comments

And then there were 12.

In what is by far the worst month in memory for Southern California cyclists, an even dozen cyclists have now died on our streets this month alone.

According to the Press Enterprise, 42-year old Dondi Allen Quimby was hit by a car while walking his bicycle on the 200 block of Lytle Creek Road in Lytle Creek just before 1 am Sunday.

Quimby, who is described as a transient, was walking with his girlfriend along the shoulder of the road when he was hit by a 1997 Ford Thunderbird driven by Rancho Cucamonga resident Matthew Eldridge. He died at the scene; no word on whether the unidentified girlfriend was injured.

The 20-year old Eldridge was arrested about an hour later for investigation of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter. And yet a spokesman for the CHP seems to be making the case for the driver’s defense, saying the location was very dark with a narrow shoulder.

Of course, if the driver was using headlights — which he certainly should have been doing at 1 am — darkness should have been irrelevant. And even a narrow shoulder suggests that a sober driver should have been able to see and avoid Quimby.

The San Bernardino County Coroner’s office is asking the public’s help in locating any of Quimby’s family members; anyone with information is urged to contact the Coroner’s Division at 909-387-2978.

This is the 41st bicycle-related fatality in Southern California so far this year — nearly one third of those this month alone. And it’s the seventh death in the last seven months in San Bernardino County, a total that equals all the cycling deaths in the county in 2010, the last year on record.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , ,

Just ride

July 23, 2012 / / 6 comments

“Man to man is so unjust.” — Bob Marley, Who the Cap Fit

My sister, who lives in Denver, called us Thursday evening.

As the call was wrapping up, she mentioned that she had to pick my 15-year old nephew up at the movies at 3 am.

Because he was on his way to a midnight showing of the new Batman movie.

The next morning, I awoke to the news that a madman had opened fire in an Aurora theater, not far from their home, during a midnight showing of the movie.

My stomach started doing flips.

It was bad enough that something like this had happened once again. Or that it happened in my home state, in a town I lived in briefly about three decades ago.

I knew there was little chance Adam had been at that particular theater at that exact time. But when an email to my sister went unanswered for longer than I could live with, I had to call to ensure he hadn’t been there.

And I can’t begin to tell you how relieved I felt when he answered the phone, and said he’d gone to a theater closer to his home. One that was, thankfully, madman and assault rifle free.

All weekend, we all were bombarded with a constant drumbeat of news bits, each adding to the still incomplete portrait of just what happened in that theater that night.

Yet none of the jabbering talking heads paused long enough to put this madness in perspective.

Twelve dead is a horrible, tragic needless waste.

But it doesn’t begin to compare with the 90 Americans who lose their lives on our streets every day. And it’s just one less than the death count of cyclists on SoCal streets this month alone.

Ninety killed every day.

Six-hundred-thirty every week.

Two-thousand-forty every month.

Yet there’s no breaking news reports for that story. No attractive anchormen or women breathlessly whipping to reporters in the field, no tidbit of meaningless information that’s not trivial to relate. No outrage or prayer vigils or 24-hour news cycles dedicated to the lives and deaths of victims of the rapidly compounding body count.

And seldom an arrest, let alone prosecution, even when the killer is known.

Instead, we just call them accidents.

Never mind that virtually every collision that occurs anywhere can be traced back to one or more people breaking the law, or operating their vehicles in a careless, distracted or intoxicated manner.

Accidents are virtually never just accidents.

Even on the rare occasions when killers are arrested, those who know them will argue that it wasn’t really their fault. If you only knew the whole story, they insist, you’d understand that he or she was really a good person who just made one little mistake, or did something so out of character it should be forgiven.

Even in cases where the driver left the victim to die on the side of the road, then ran off like a coward and hid the evidence of the collision in an attempt to avoid the consequences of his or her actions.

No outrage.

Seldom any consequences.

And even then, it usually amounts to nothing more than a limp slap on the wrist.

In the meantime, the body count continues to rise. And nothing is done to address the insanity on our streets; no politicians step forward to demand an end to our daily motor maniacal madness.

I don’t have an answer.

I believe, strongly, in a Vision Zero plan. And in placing greater responsibility on those with the greatest potential to cause injury and death.

As well as changing our laws to force drivers to stop and stay at the scene of a collision.

Yet we all wait in vain for a political leader with sufficient courage to take a stand on the issue. Let alone actually do something about it.

Then again, none of our elected leaders seems to have the courage to do something about all the Columbine/Virginia Tech/Aurora massacres that actually do make the news, either.

I wish I had a solution.

I really do.

Other than demanding that our candidates for every office go on the record for what, if elected, they would do to address these parallel, if vastly uneven, bloodbaths. Then vote accordingly in the fall.

But at least I know a way to release that knot that’s been gnawing at me since Friday morning. And salve, in some part, the overwhelming sadness.

And that’s get out on my bike.

For a moment, for a hour, for an afternoon.

Let the wind blow away whatever tears may fall.

And just ride.

My prayers for all those injured or killed in the Aurora shooting. And all the countless named and nameless victims of the madness on our street.

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, Car vs Bike, Injuries and Fatalities, Law Enforcement / Tags: , , , , , ,

Update: Indian Wells cyclist dies from natural causes, rather than solo fall

July 18, 2012 / / One comment

The bad news just keeps on coming.

An Indian Wells man has become the latest bike rider to die in what has become a truly horrible month for SoCal cyclists.

According to mydessert.com, the rider, described only as a man in his early 60s, was riding east on Miles Avenue near Washington Street when he apparently struck a curb and fell, suffering critical injuries. He died sometime later at a local hospital.

A sheriff’s deputy suggests that he may have had some sort of medical condition that caused him to fall; however, no details were released and cause of death is being withheld pending an autopsy and toxicology reports.

This is the 40th cycling fatality in Southern California this year, the sixth in Riverside County and the second in the past two months in the small community of Indian Wells. It’s also the 11th bike-related death in this very tragic month of July; over a quarter of this year’s fatalities have occurred this month.

And we still have two weeks to go.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.

Update: The victim has been identified as 61-year old Gordon West of La Quinta. According to the coroner’s office, his death was due to natural causes, rather than a fall.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , ,

Fontana BOLO alert, memorial services for Veluz-Abraham, and yet another pro rider lets us down.

July 18, 2012 / / 2 comments

Just get out and ride. You’ll thank me later.

Sometimes, I don’t even know what to say.

It seems like the news has been nothing but bad for the last few weeks. Topped off by yet another of cycling’s most popular riders pulled from the Tour de France after failing a drug test — and yes, I’m looking at you, Frank Schleck.

It’s gotten to the point that I’m almost afraid to read the news for fear of what I’m going to find. And who’s going to disappoint us next.

Fortunately, there’s a solution.

Just get out and ride your bike.

Now.

No, seriously. If you can get away even for a few minutes, stop what you’re doing and get out on your bike. And just forget about everything for awhile.

And yes, I do mean everything.

Just take a few minutes, or a few dozen miles, to remember why you fell in love with riding in the first place.

If you can’t get out now, find time to get a ride in before the day is over.

Trust me, you’ll feel better when you’re done.

And the news will keep until you get back.

………

We’re still dealing with the aftermath of last week’s extreme rash of cycling deaths, as witnesses identify the suspect vehicle in the hit-and-run death of Fontana cyclist Alex Silva.

Authorities ask you to be on the lookout for dark red early 2000s model Chevy Corvette convertible with damage to a left front bumper and fender, as well as damage to the convertible top, windshield and driver’s side window.

And Kevin M reveals that services have been announced for popular cyclist Willis Veluz-Abraham, who was killed in a solo cycling fall in the hills above Calabasas on Saturday — possibly as a result of recently installed rumble strips.

VIEWING-Tuesday, July 24th, 5pm-9pm, Mission Hills Mortuary, 11160 Stranwood Avenue, Mission Hills, CA 91345

VIGIL/MEMORIAL-Wednesday, July 25th, 6:30pm-9pm, Our Lady of Peace Church, 15444 Nordoff Street, North Hills, CA 91343

FUNERAL MASS & BURIAL-Thursday, July 26th, 10am, Our Lady of Peace Church, 15444 Nordoff Street, North Hills, CA 91343 (the procession from the church back to Mission Hills mortuary/cemetery will be escorted by members of Willis’ Bicycle Club)

………

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to bike racing, Frank Schleck becomes the latest to fail a drug test, this time for a banned diuretic, and is pulled from the Tour de France by his team. He says if the B sample also tests positive, he’ll charge someone with poisoning him.

No, seriously.

Maybe he was force-fed some Spanish beef.

In light of Sunday’s tack attack in the TdF, Dave Moulton considers the Dick Head factor. A 49ers fan site looks at notable cheaters over the years — including the rider who briefly won the 1904 Tour.

And Lance takes his fight against doping charges to a higher forum.

………

Clif Bar is giving the LACBC a second chance to raise $10,000 by logging your rides for the rest of the month. A new LA startup connects people with shared interests, like bike riding, for instance. Santa Monica’s Bike Center proves successful as it moves into a busy summer season. SaMo’s new police chief wants to ensure traffic does not impede bicycle and pedestrian safety; I think I like her already. Matt LeBlanc and Ali Larter ride a tandem on camera. Examined Spoke says he wants a lane of his own just like pedestrians enjoy. More on the ghost bike installed for Larry Schellhase in Redondo Beach. Long Beach begins a series of monthly community meetings to discuss bike issues next Monday.

Locations have been selected for Anaheim’s new bike share program, operated by the same company that will run L.A.’s upcoming program. Riverside police are looking for volunteers, including a citizen bike patrol. A 16-year old Oxnard cyclist is found unconscious after an apparent solo fall, two days after another rider was critically injured in a collision with a suspected drunk driver. Sunnyvale becomes the third city to pass an L.A. style anti-harassment ordinance. How long do drivers park in San Francisco bike lanes? Nearly a dozen fixies bite the dust as a San Francisco driver plows through a bike coral.

Ten things to know about the new federal transportation bill. Rather than covering women’s sports, Outside magazine asks why the media doesn’t. An Oregon prison inmate makes a brief escape by bike. An Illinois cyclist charges racial discrimination after getting a ticket for riding his bike through a construction zone, bizarrely comparing his case to Trayvon Martin. New York’s bike share program is delayed another month. Virginia’s Cookie Lady, famous for providing fresh cookies or lodging for passing cyclists, has passed away at age 91. The Orlando Sentinel says keep bikes off freeways.

A UK cop is charged with writing at least 350 fake tickets for cycling offenses — including one to a man who hasn’t been able to ride a bike for 15 years. Seven people have been arrested for sabotaging the famed Paris Vélib’ bike share program. A noted Mossad spy and former head of their assassination unit is killed when he’s hit by a truck while riding his bike; anyone want to lay odds on whether that was an accident?

Finally, forget carbon or titanium, your next bike could be made almost entirely from cardboard. But with a manufacturing cost of less than $12, it might make a practical spare. Or provide practical transportation for impoverished regions.

And there’s nothing funny about that.

Category: Bicycle Safety, General, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

Are calculated risks taking the lives of L.A. area cyclists?

July 17, 2012 / / 7 comments

Just last week, 30-year old Venice resident Erin Galligan was killed by a hit-and-run driver on PCH in Santa Monica.

A collision that might not have occurred if lights had been installed on the Santa Monica beach bike path to make it a safer and more inviting alternative to remaining on PCH during the construction work for the coastal interceptor sewer project.

We’ll never know why she chose the high-speed traffic of PCH over the dark and secluded bike path, since the only person who could have told us is now tragically silent.

Now another cyclist may have died due to an ill-advised roadway modification touted by County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

Speculation by cyclists as to the cause of the solo cycling accident that took the life of Willis Veluz-Abraham last Saturday has centered on the rumble strips that were recently installed on Stunt Road, where his collision occurred.

A comment left Monday says the strips have been installed on Piuma, Schuren and Stunt Roads, which, combined with Mulholland Highway and Cold Canyon, form the informal Mulholland Raceway popular with motorcyclists and performance drivers. According to the article on Yaroslavsky’s website, the high-speed motorists who frequent the area pose a risk to everyone on the roadway, while providing a near-constant aggravation to people who live in the area.

After considering other possibilities, the rumble strips were installed to calm these overly aggressive drivers and motorcyclists.

Whether they’ve had any real effect is yet to be determined.

But they may have cost Veluz-Abraham his life.

Yaroslovsky’s article hints at the danger.

The solution is not without its own possible downsides. Although centerline rumble strips have been used successfully in other areas—the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, for example, credited them last year with a 35%-50% reduction in crashes in areas on which they were installed—any change in the road surface can create hazards, especially for bicyclists and motorcyclists (emphasis mine).

In other words, they knew even before these strips were installed that they would pose a risk to bike riders. Yet evidently, made the conscious decision that it was worth risking our lives by deliberately making the roadway more dangerous in an attempt to slow down motorized traffic.

And it looks like that calculated risk came true on Saturday, just months after the first rumble strips were carved into the center dividers.

When the driver of a car, truck or SUV hits a rumble strip, it creates a loud, unpleasant noise and shaking sensation. But when motorcyclists hit them, they can result in shaking bad enough to adversely affect their ability to control their bikes.

And when a bicyclist hits a rumble strip, the effect can be devastating.

Especially since a bicycle rider is only likely to cross the center line when rounding a curve at high speed, and leaning hard into the curve in an attempt to control their bicycle. Combine the high speed and steep angle of the bike with an intentionally uneven road surface, and you have a recipe for disaster, making control of their bikes almost impossible for even the most skilled riders.

Like Willis Veluz-Abraham, for instance.

Something I know from first-hand experience in my more aggressive riding days.

I managed to survive my one and only encounter with center line rumble strips, if just barely, skidding across the road and ending up in the bushes on the opposite shoulder — while thanking God there had been no traffic coming in the opposite direction while I was sliding helpless on the highway.

It looks like Veluz-Abraham may not have been so lucky.

In another comment on Monday, Jeff says he was following him down Stunt Road when the incident occurred.

I was riding behind Willis when this happened and it was truly a tragedy. He was an experienced and cautious rider. He was a true family man and great guy to be around. He was really excited about being out riding that day. From what I saw it looked as though the rumble strip in the middle could have been part of the reason he went off.

…We were going downhill and making a right turn and he went wide and off to the left. There is a deep ravine and some metal beams sticking out of the ground that he struck.

Considering the location of the rumble strips, it’s virtually guaranteed that they played some role in causing Veluz-Abraham to go off the road; if they weren’t the direct cause, they undoubtedly contributed to his inability to regain control as he slid across the roughened pavement.

Depending on how recently he’d ridden that area, he may not have even known they were there, as I’m told that no warning signs were installed after the rumble strips carved into the pavement. And even if he did know they were there, he may not have been aware of the extreme danger they posed to riders such as himself.

Then again, he may have been fully aware of the danger, and simply couldn’t avoid them as he came around the corner too hot, unable to keep from drifting over the center line despite the danger.

Once again, we’ll never know.

But what we do know — what Yaroslavsky’s article makes abundantly clear — is that a conscious decision was make to slow motorized traffic by increasing the danger to everyone else on a popular riding route.

And it clearly illustrates that the safety of cyclists is too often ignored in making decisions that put us at risk.

Thanks to Eric Bruins and J for the link to the Yaroslavsky article.

………

Meanwhile, another comment points out that you can put your money where your heart is in the wake of this needless tragedy.

Willis’ co-workers and friends at Farmers Insurance have established a fund for his Family. Please forward this information to the Biking-Community in Los Angeles who would like to donate.

You can make donations to The Willis Veluz Abraham Fund
Wells Fargo Account #3268012758. You can also make a check out to either Willis Veluz Abraham Fund Or Melissa Abraham Fund

………

San Francisco family photographer Joseph Pascua provides portraits of Willis Veluz-Abraham and his family, while El Cerrito Patch remembers him as a former resident and graduate of the local high school.

The family and girlfriend of Fontana hit-and-run victim Alex Patrick Silva speak directly to the cycling community in calling for safety. A commenter says that police are looking for a black Chrysler sedan in the hit-and-run death of BMX rider Richard Paine in Fullerton.

And ghost bikes were installed Sunday night for Antonio Cortez, Erin Galligan and Willis Veluz-Abraham.

………

Over the years. I’ve seen a lot of comments online from auto-centric drivers who just don’t get it. And inexplicably — and heartlessly — express their misguided anger on stories about fallen riders.

Like this one, for instance.

I am so sorry for the family and friends left behind but It is to dangerous to ride PCH and Malibu canyon on a bicycle, we have minimum speed requirements for a reason, meaning you can get pulled over for going to slow in a car.!!!!! And until we support a bike lane bike’s cannot ride these roads, and think of the poor driver that smacks Capernikus in the malibu tunnel..!!! or on Kanan Road??? Plus some moron made it so the bicycle has the right away on these roads??? Ha? some and I do mean alot of idiots ride next to each other taking a big part of the lane…Hello!!! What part of 4000lbs going 55 do they think won’t hurt???? I think it really needs to be outlawed Sorry…Or we just wait till some big shot get’s killed and then we outlaw it, Let’s do it before or the people that keep us safe are dumber than I all ready think they are…Over and out..

Never mind that California doesn’t have a minimum speed law. Or her mistaken insistence that cyclists have the right of way — or right away, as she puts it — over automotive traffic, as much as we might all enjoy that.

What really takes the cake is the idea that bicycling should be outlawed, not because of any damage we might cause, but because we could be the victims of dangerous drivers like her.

Kind of like outlawing banks because someone might rob them.

Lastly, for her, and every other person who insists on making the same, tired and idiotic old statement, I have been hit by a car.

And I can assure them and everyone else that it hurts like hell.

………

You may recall a few months back that I included a few links to stories about a bike collision involving the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Author Steven Covey was seriously injured in a solo fall in Provo UT, yet seemed to be on the road to recovery when he was released from the hospital a few weeks later.

Now word comes that he died early Monday at a hospital in Idaho, apparently from the residual effects of his injuries.

Or maybe he was never bouncing back at all, as it’s not usual for the family and handlers of celebrities to issue false press releases to hide the severity of their injuries or illnesses from the press and public.

Thanks to Stanley Goldich and Matthew Gomez for the heads-up.

………

The nation’s first bicycling accident and liability policy is now available with a discount through Sustainable Streets. If you’re not already covered by an auto policy, you should quit reading and sign up right now.

It’s okay, I’ll wait.

………

In today’s racing update, Tour de France Riders are poised to make big moves in the final week, while André Greipel could turn out to be a surprise.

Sunday’s stage 14 of the Tour de France is sabotaged by thumbtacks in the roadway; non-cyclists may think it’s just a prank, while bike riders realize just how dangerous it really is; thanks to Cycleliscious for the Central Park link. Pierre Roland says he didn’t get the memo and is sorry he attacked on the tacks, while incidents like this show the downside of letting fans so close.

Team Sky’s Chris Froome is frustrated riding in support of fading 2011 champ Cadel Evans in a race he thinks he could win.

Meanwhile, the women of the Reve Tour, who are preceding the TdF on the same route, continue their tour despite contending with a car and a resulting broken tailbone.

And Thor Hushovd pulls out of the Olympics due to illness.

………

The LACBC introduces Eric Bruins as the coalition’s new Planning and Policy Director, replacing the popular and effective Alexis Lantz, who has moved on to a position with the L.A. County Department of Health. Santa Monica Spoke says a full length Expo Line bikeway is at risk; you can have your say in a meeting this Wednesday evening in Santa Monica. L.A.’s Planning Department will host a meeting Wednesday evening to discuss implementation of the first year of the city’s bike plan. The Caltech Bike Lab is hosting a ride to the Eagle Rock Brewery on Saturday. Two Azusa cyclists are seriously injured in separate crashes; not surprisingly, neither driver is either cited or arrested.

Concluding that the body count on California roadways isn’t high enough, our governor — only the second to veto a three foot passing law — legalizes texting with while driving with hands-free devices; clearly, I’m not the only one who thinks it’s a bad idea. Evidently, it wasn’t a good weekend for NorCal cyclists either, as rider dies on Donner Pass, and a renowned Israeli psychologist was killed while riding in Berkeley on Friday when he was hit by a dump truck. And the CHP blames a seriously injured Sonoma cyclist for crossing onto the wrong side of the road, resulting in a head-on collision.

A writer for the Alliance for Biking and Walking explains why every bicyclist, and the riding death of his friend, count. Are cyclists and drivers really locked together in an endless life-and-death struggle? Aspen’s planned bike share program gets delayed for a second year. A writer in my hometown suggests we all add our own biking PSAs in email messages. One of my favorite bike bloggers looks at Denver and Estes Park through a bike rider’s eye. Two Iowa men are arrested for stealing bikes minutes after they’re released from jail. A Tulsa duathlon honors a cyclist killed by a drunk driver. Turns out the New York Post doesn’t just hate biking infrastructure. A New York ad campaign shows how not to encourage women to ride bikes. Just what part of Bikes Can Use Full Lane is unclear to Virginians; link courtesy of Bob Mionske’s bicyclelaw.com.

London’s Mirror asks if bicycling has become the cool way to get around, while the Guardian wonders how Britain became a bicycling nation in just 10 years. Meanwhile, the Evening Standard relates how to remain stylish despite being forced to ride a bike during the upcoming Olympics. An Indian firm pays its employees 1,000 rupees a month to bike to work.

Finally, our streets are turning into a violent Peyton Place, as an off-duty Philadelphia police officer is apparently intentionally run down by his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. And a Santa Rosa woman does her best to run down a motorcyclist before plowing into another car and killing an innocent driver.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Update: Breaking news — CHP reports yet another SoCal cyclist killed in solo fall on Mulholland Highway

July 14, 2012 / / 54 comments

More bad news for Southern California cyclists.

A CHP transmission reports that yet another bike rider has died on our streets. According to the cryptic message, the coroner has been called to a solo bike wreck on Mulholland Highway at Stunt Road, just outside Stunt Ranch State Park and Red Rock Canyon Park above Malibu.

The first call came in at 9:33 this morning, with the coroner called just after 10 am. The transmission codes (1144, 1019 and 1039) indicate a probably fatality, with rescue personnel instructed to return to the station, followed by confirmation of the call to the coroner’s office.

The satellite image shows a three-way intersection with a stop on Stunt Road, and an uncontrolled intersection on Mulholland.

No other information is available at this time.

This marks the 39th cycling fatality in Southern California so far this year, and the 11th in Los Angeles County. This is also the ninth cyclist to die in a solo collision since the beginning of the year.

And it’s the 10th cycling death in just the last nine days, as the horrible, tragic string of recent cycling fatalities continues for yet another day.

My prayers and sympathy for the victim and all his or her family and loved ones.

Update: The L.A. Times reports that the victim, who has not yet been publicly identified, was a black male approximately 40 years old, who died at the scene. A comment to this story says he left behind a wife and children.

The Times puts the time of the collision at 9:20 am, while other sources put it just before 9 am. However, all reports agree that the rider somehow veered of the road and down a ravine.

As always, the question is why. He may have simply lost control or had a mechanical failure, or could have been forced off the road or over reacted to a passing car. 

There’s no indication whether he was riding alone or with a group, or if there were any witnesses to the wreck.

Update 2: The L.A. Daily News has identified the rider as 42-year old Willis Veluz-Abraham of Winnetka. The paper also places the location of the collision as near Stunt Road and Mulholland; a comment places the location on the mid to upper section of Stunt.

Update 3: Starting to get a little more information. In a comment below, Justin Murray identifies the location as a curve near Mile Marker 3 on Stunt Road, and points the finger at newly installed rumble strips in the center of the roadway. If anyone has photos of the location or the rumble strips, please let me know.

While they may seem harmless to motorists, rumble strips can be exceptionally dangerous to cyclists. Someone taking a corner a little to hot could easily drift over the center line and lose control after hitting them. It’s especially dangerous if the strips were newly installed, as Murray suggests, as riders may not have known they were there if the strips had been installed since the last time they’d ridden that road, especially if there were no warning signs pointing to their installation.

Update 4: One of the saddest things about any tragedy like this, to me at least, is that most of us never get to know the person that was taken away from us. Not just the name, or barest details of his or, but who they really were. 

That’s why I’m elevating a couple of the comments that came in this afternoon after Veluz-Abraham was identified as the victim. Maybe they’ll touch you as deeply as they did me — and remind us all just how much is lost when any one of us is taken away needlessly.

From Daniel:

Willis was a co-worker and a friend of mine. Since the first time I met him, he was always friendly and he always had a smile on his face. His wife and him recently had their second child.I had a conversation with him a few days ago and he was mentioning how important it was for him to have quality time with his wife and children. 

Willis was also very active in his Church. He was a graduate of UCLA and he was originally from Northern California. Willis love to eat and he enjoyed trying new foods. Willis and his wife enjoy salsa dancing. 

Everyone at work is crashed that he died this way. I take some comfort that he died while doing something he loved to do and that he live his life to the fullest.

From Fellow Bruin: 

I’ve known Willis since my college days.  Such a bright light he is/ was to anyone who knew him.  Such a shock and a terrible loss for our entire community.  He and his wife just welcomed their 2nd son into the world in February.  That’s the worst part– he’ll never remember just what a special dad he had.  Willis was no dare-devil.  I don’t know how this could happen- but ride carefully, folks!

Please, take that last part seriously. We may not know exactly how or why he died, but we do know how to avoid the next one.

Ride carefully, ride smart, ride defensively.

There are people who love you, and count on you to come home from your rides.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , ,

A heartwarming story to end your week, a bunch of legal updates and week’s worth of links

July 14, 2012 / / 4 comments

Now that there’s finally a lull in this week’s rash of bad news, let’s catch up on all the news that’s been on hold this week.

………

First off, maybe you remember the story.

It was about a year and a half back, when I told the tale of a hero bus rider who jumped off his Commuter Express bus after a long day at the DWP to stop a bike thief, and rescue the prized ride of a total stranger.

It’s one of my favorite stories I’ve told on here, second only, perhaps, to a pair of female triathletes who saved two men from drowning off the Malibu coast.

And I was there last year when Good Samaritan Hospital, where the owner of the bike, Dan McLaughlin, serves as a vice president, honored him at the annual Blessing of the Bicycles.

But after that, I lost track of the story until L.A. Times writer Nita Lelyveld gave me a call a few weeks back.

What I didn’t know was that the story didn’t end that day when McLaughlin handed his bike’s rescuer a plaque in front of a group of gathered cyclists. They had become friends, bonding over bikes, and Bolivar and his wife had even taken to riding a tandem together.

It’s a beautiful story. And one that Nita tells beautifully.

It’s definitely a must read, if you haven’t already.

………

My apologies to Shane Feldon.

I had promised to write this week about a new light system currently looking for funding on Kickstarter. Unlike other bike lights, it doesn’t just attach to your handlebars, but actually is a structural part of your bike.

So it’s always there when you need it, and you never have to worry about forgetting it or having it stolen.

Unless they take your whole bike, of course.

Sadly, there’s only a few hours left to get funded, and it looks like it’s going to end up well short. But if you’ve got some money to invest — or happen to own a bike company — this looks like a great idea with a lot of potential.

………

Nineteen-year old Korean college student Jin Hyuk Byun has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of hit-and-run causing death for allegedly killing 18-year old Angel Bojorquez as he rode home from work in Rancho Santa Fe last Friday.

The judge recognized the risk Byun posed, calling him “an extreme danger to the community,” as he raised Byun’s bail from $50,000 to $1 million, according to the North County Times.

The NC Times also reports that Byun allegedly stopped after killing Bojorquez — not to render aid or call for help, but to push a broken headlight assembly back into place and strip the torn rubber from his tire before driving home on the bare rim.

Remarkably, he faces a maximum of just four years in prison for leaving another human being to die on the side of the road.

Surely there are other charges the DA can file.

Vehicular homicide might be a good start.

………

In other legal news, the Highland Community News confirms that Patrick Roraff has entered a guilty plea in the 2010 death of pro cyclist Jorge Alvarado, as we discussed Monday; co-defendant Brett Morin is still pleading not guilty.

Dj Wheels reports that Phillip Goldburn Williams, charged with vehicular manslaughter in the July, 2010 death of cyclist Victor Apaseo-Rodriguez in Downtown L.A., has been convicted after changing his plea to no contest.

And walked away with a slightly bruised wrist.

Williams received a three years of probation, $194 in fees, 20 days of Caltrans road work, and 160 hours of community service. Oh, and a whopping 12 hours of anger management; we can only wonder what that’s about.

Meanwhile, his victim received a death sentence, carried out on the bumper of Williams’ Chevy Avalanche.

Wheels also reports that a preliminary hearing took place this week for a very pregnant Christine Dahab, charged with felony counts of driving under the influence causing injury and driving with a blood alcohol count over .08, after injuring 13 cyclists in Culver City in June of last year.

And our anonymous South Bay source reports that Joel Alexander Murphy has pleaded not guilty in the hit-and-run death of cyclist Roger Lippman in Huntington Beach last month, as well as for violating his formal parole on drug charges.

I’m also told that both the D.A.’s office and Mothers Against Drunk Driving have been trying to reach out to Lippman’s family and friends to aid in the prosecution and prepare Victim Impact Statements to present to the judge to influence sentencing.

………

In racing news, David Millar wins stage 12 of the Tour de France, seven years about coming back from a doping ban, in what’s turning into a British dominated race. Cadel Evans cracks in stage 11, while Wiggins tightens his grasp on the lead, and Thomas Voeckler won the first mountain stage of the Tour de France.

Bicycling offers an update on the eight Americans who started this year’s Tour; it ain’t pretty. Meanwhile, young riders Chris Froome and Tejay Van Garderen learn the hard way what it means to be a domestique.

Not content to go after Lance, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency bans his doctors and former trainer, while Armstrong refiles his lawsuit against USADA, and a U.S. representative calls for an investigation into the USADA for wasting time investigating Armstrong. And current former TdF champ Alberto Contador plans to return from his doping ban next month.

It’s been 45 years since British rider Tommy Simpson died in the Tour de France, the first, but sadly not only, fatality in its 109 year history.

The route for the fourth stage of August’s badly named USA Pro Cycling Challenge is in danger, as a giant sinkhole threatens to swallow the roadway.

In local racing, the Easy Reader offers a good wrap up of last weekend’s Manhattan Beach Grand Prix, as Ken Hanson and Shelby Reynolds take the top men’s and women’s categories, respectively.

………

A new date — and new routes — have been announced for this fall’s CicLAvia, in order to make room for the space shuttle. Here’s your chance to ask CicLAvia’s Stephen Villavaso about the changes. L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa offers up a video explaining how CicLAvia is transforming our streets, while Better Bike provides a detailed look at the new areas you’ll experience.

………

Bill Cosby narrates a 1970s-era public service video about bi-cycling, as he calls it; who knew Santa Ana used to be bike friendly?

………

A reader sends in this photo of an angry Santa Monica bus driver cursing him out after he asked the driver to be more careful. He notes that Big Blue Bus officials were very helpful in handling his complaint, and that simply taking a photo is often the best thing you can do when confronted with a traffic altercation.

I’ve long been a believer in pulling out a camera when confronted with angry driver.

Especially ones that may have been otherwise distracted.

………

The monthly Spoke(n) Art ride rolls tomorrow. CD13 City Council candidate Josh Post is hosting a two hour fun ride along the L.A. River bike path on July 22nd to share his vision for a bike-friendly L.A. and revitalization of the L.A. River. If you’re in the market for a new job, Bikes and Hikes LA is looking for in-shape, bilingual tour guides. LADOT will be testing new treatments Sunday for the badly worn Spring Street green bike lanes. BIKAS offers a better than passing grade for L.A.’s new bikeway efforts. Will Campbell creates another great timelapse through Griffith Park. Santa Monica moves forward with their own 13 station bike share program, which may or may not be compatible with the upcoming L.A. bike share; Better Bike asks what role, if any, the Westside Council of Governments will play on the region’s expanding bike share plans. Glendale gives up on the Honolulu Ave road diet, as auto-centric council member Dan Weaver observes that the city’s streets were designed for automobiles, not bicycles; thanks to Michael Wade for the heads-up. The route has been set for Pasadena’s inaugural Gran Fondo. A ghost bike was installed Friday for Larry Schellhase, the cyclist killed when he hit road debris in Redondo Beach last April.

Newport Beach votes on placing sharrows on the East Coast Highway; word from cdmCyclist’s Frank Peters is that they were approved. San Diego cyclists are understandably upset after Caltrans decides to remove a ghost bike for fallen rider Nick Venuto, but manage to save another for Chuck Gilbreth; they’ll also host a ride to honor fallen cyclists Theodore Jones and Angel Bojorquez on July 25th. San Diego hires Safe Moves to provide bike and pedestrian safety training to students. A local resident asks why Coronado isn’t bike friendly. Sharrows are coming to Highway 101 in Solano Beach. The Bert and Ernie approach to sharing the road. Be careful biking with your dog running alongside; or better yet, just don’t. Security video catches a Solvang burglar breaking in to a bike shop and running out with two bikes. Palo Alto moves forward with a new bike plan. Good news, as the Modesto girl seriously injured when she stepped in front of an antique car to save her bike riding brother returns home from the hospital. Cyclists are gaining political influence in the Bay Area, though not everyone is happy with it. A not guilty plea from the driver accused of critically injuring New Zealand pro cyclist Michael Torckler in a Sonoma County hit and run.

The Bike League looks at our own Dorothy Wong. States can’t wait to spend former bike funding on other projects. New pedals double as bike locks. A Portland study shows bicyclists spend more at local business. Clif Bar celebrates its 20th Anniversary by giving Public bikes to their employees. According to a Denver paper, either cruiser bikes rule, or they’re ruining cycling for the rest of us. A micro brewery in my home town converts its parking lot into secure bike parking. Survivors of the devastating Colorado fires say their lives would be better if they could just get rid of those damn bikes. Aspen CO cyclist can now expect to get a warning instead of a ticket. A North Dakota’s Supreme Court rules a cyclist can be convicted of drunk bicycling. Republican candidates in Madison WI unite to oppose a local bike path. Turns out riding a bike in Chicago is safer than riding in the suburbs. A Michigan driver rear-ended and critically injured a rider, then casually continued on to the same casino where his victim worked. Ohio bike lawyer Steve Magas asks if this is the worst crash report ever. A reminder that cyclists aren’t always the good guys, while a Columbus writer says that city’s drivers are courteous, but cyclists are road-hogging jerks who should be ticketed — and describes unsafely passing a rider as proof. New York plans to slow more drivers down to a 20 mph speed limit. Boston’s Lovely Bicycle finds the middle ground in appreciating John Forester, the father of vehicular cycling. Shockingly, it turns out drivers break the law more than cyclists. Turns out that the DC-area cyclist who killed a pedestrian recently wasn’t a spandex-clad maniac after all. North Carolina cyclists ride in honor of Steve Jordan, the state director for mental health, who was killed while riding his bike on the 4th of July. Florida plans to allow bikes on some limited access highways on a trial basis.

A San Diego physician saves the life of a doored cyclist while vacationing in Vancouver. The British Medical Association says curb car use and make room for bikes and pedestrians. From anorexic model to a favorite in team pursuit at the London Olympics. A British Paralympic cyclist sees her games in doubt after she’s Jerry Browned by a passing car. German cyclist Kristina Vogel bounces back from a broken neck to compete in London. A London cyclist rhetorically asks why not just ban bikes entirely after they’re barred from bus and Olympic lanes prior to the games. A British cyclist receives the equivalent of 36 cents in court ordered compensation for his stolen bike. “Pranksters” nearly decapitate a 12-year old English boy by stringing rope across the footbridge he was riding on; yeah, real funny. Tests show cyclists using earphones at a reasonable level can still hear warning sounds from other riders, comparable to a car driver with no music playing. An Aussie cyclist calls for an end to road rage.

Finally, that’s what I call a rough ride, as a Type 1 Diabetic riding in the Tour Divide stops to check his blood sugar, encounters a bear, slides off of an embankment and nearly drowns in a river before making his way back to his bike — and on to a hospital. This is what I call a sharrow. And these are the rules that should govern every bike club:

1) Ride Bikes

2) Try not to be an ass

………

My apologies to everyone who sent me links this past week. Between all the breaking news and an inadvertent email crash, I’ve completely lost track of who sent me what. But I am grateful to each of you, and hope you’ll all keep sending me more stories as we move forward.

Category: Best of, Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, General, Injuries and Fatalities, Legal Cases, Stolen Bikes and Bike Crime / Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Update: Make that nine — Rancho Cucamonga cyclist killed in hit-and-run, adding to bloody SoCal body count

July 13, 2012 / / 7 comments

I could just cry.

Minutes after finishing a report on yesterday’s fatal solo cycling collision in Chula Vista comes word of yet another fatality on Thursday, this time in Rancho Cucamonga.

According to the Press-Enterprise, 25-year old Fontana resident Alex Patrick Silva was riding with a friend on Wilson Avenue just east of San Sevaine Road when he was hit from behind by a car around 11:55 pm. He was transported to the Kaiser hospital in Fontana, where he died in the ER.

The driver fled the scene. No description of the suspect vehicle is available at this time.

Anyone with information is urges to call San Bernardino Sheriff’s deputies at 909/477-2800, extension 7680.

This is the 38th cycling fatality so far this year, and the sixth in San Bernardino County, as well as the ninth cycling fatality in just the last eight days. It’s also the 10th fatal bike-related hit-and-run in the seven county SoCal region so far this year — and the 4th since last Friday.

My prayers for Silva and all his family and loved ones.

Update: KABC-7 reports that witnesses have identified the suspect vehicle as a sporty, red car, possibly a convertible, likely to have damage to the left front, including broken windshield and driver’s side window. According to the station, Silva was an art student and avid cyclist who died just a mile from his home.

Update 2: KTLA-5 reports that an arrest has been made in this case. Fifty-seven-year old Fontana resident Mark Sanders reportedly turned himself in to sheriff’s deputies at the Rancho Cucamonga station while detectives were searching his home after serving a warrant. He was booked on a charge of hit-and-run resulting in death, and is now free on $100,000 bail.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Update: 8th Southern California cyclist killed in last 8 days, as Chula Vista cyclist dies in solo fall

July 13, 2012 / / 8 comments

I don’t even know what to say any more.

In the single worst period in memory for Southern California cyclists, eight riders have now died since Friday of last week, as a Chula Vista cyclist succumbed to injuries suffered yesterday in a solo fall.

According to a release from the Chula Vista police, a 39-year old bike rider, who has not been publicly identified pending notification of next of kin, was riding northbound on Broadway near C Street around 2:50 pm. A witness saw him lose control going downhill and tumble on the roadway, suffering a serious head injury.

He died shortly after being transported to the UC San Diego Medical Center.

The report notes that the victim was not wearing a helmet; for once, that actually might matter, since this would seem to be exactly the sort of collision bike helmets are designed to protect against.

Eight deaths.

A rate of one a day, distributed throughout the seven county SoCal region — although, as you’ll see below, San Diego County has suffered far more than their share, accounting for well over half of the cycling deaths in the last week.

And from a wide spectrum of causes, from solo falls to late night hit and runs, and cyclists of seemingly every possible description.

If there’s a common element, I can’t find it. And I have no idea how to stop this outrageous streak of roadway carnage.

All I know is this can’t go on.

It just can’t.

At the end of May, we were on a pace for just 48 bicycling deaths this year; as of today, that’s risen to 68.

This is the 37th cycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 10th in San Diego County — the same rate as Los Angeles County, but with less than one-third the population. He was also the fifth cyclist to die in San Diego County in just the last eight days.

And he was the eighth cyclist to die in a solo riding incident since the first of the year.

My prayers and condolences to the victim and his loved ones. And my prayers for everyone who rides today; may you all return home safely.

Thanks to Sam at Bike SD for the heads-up.

Update: The San Diego Union-Tribune identifies the victim as 39-year old George Sandoval of Chula Vista. According to the paper, Sandoval was riding on the sidewalk when he began of steer his bike into the street; his front wheel somehow detached and his fork dug into the road, throwing his over his handlebars and onto the street. He was pronounced dead a little more than an hour later.

Let this be a reminder to have your bike checked out by a qualified mechanic on a regular basis to avoid mechanical failures like this.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,
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