Archive for Injuries and Fatalities

Man killed in DUI crash while riding bike in Hawthorne Thursday night, blocks from last week’s hit-and-run crash

October 10, 2020 / / One comment

For the second time in a week, a bike rider has been struck by a driver on Rosecrans in Hawthorne.

But this time, the victim didn’t make it.

According to the Daily Breeze, the man, who has not been publicly identified, was run down by an alleged drunk driver around 11 Thursday night at Rosecrans and Chadron Aves — just five blocks from where a 14-year old boy was seriously injured in a hit-and-run crash last Friday.

He died at the scene.

The driver was apparently headed west on Rosecrans when she slammed into the victim, then crashed into a pair of parked cars, telling police she lost control after hitting “an unknown item in the roadway.”

An unknown item that turned out to be a man on a bicycle.

The driver suffered some sort of unspecified injury; police planned to arrest her once she was released from the hospital.

Unfortunately, there’s no other information available at this time.

This is at least the 49th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 12th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

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

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

82-year old bike rider dies following Temecula bike collision; investigators quickly blame the victim

October 6, 2020 / / One comment

Bullshit.

The Press-Enterprise is reporting that an 82-year old Murrieta man died late Sunday afternoon, a little over 32 hours after he was struck by a driver while riding in Temecula.

And Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputies didn’t hesitate to blame the victim for his own death, when he’s not around to share his side of the story.

According to the paper, Kenrick Skinner was crossing Margarita Road at Paseo Brillante in Temecula around 7:20 Saturday morning when he was struck by an eastbound driver.

Skinner was taken to Wildomar’s Inland Valley Medical Center, where he died around 4 pm Sunday.

The driver remained at the scene and called 911.

A street view shows four lane roadway, with bike lanes and a left turn bay in each direction on Margarita, the intersection controlled only by a single stop sign on southbound Paseo Brillante.

It strains credibility to believe that an 82-year old man would somehow violate the right-of-way by riding out into oncoming traffic, as investigators suggest.

The paper doesn’t say which direction Skinner was traveling, but it’s easy to imagine that the broadly curving roadway may have appeared clear before he started crossing.

He may have struggled to get across the wide roadway before drivers caught up to him — especially if they were traveling at a high rate of speed, which seems likely given the early hour and the wide open roadway design.

Which means a better question isn’t why was he was in the roadway, but why did the driver fail to see a man on a bicycle directly in front of him?

If sheriff’s investigators can answer that, they’ll know why this tragic crash happened.

Anyone with information is urged to call Deputy Hoctor of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Southwest Station at 951/696-3000.

This is at least the 48th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the ninth that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

It’s also the fourth SoCal bike death in the past week.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Kenrick Skinner and his loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Breaking news: 68-year old Costa Mesa bike rider killed in collision with tow truck driver Friday night

October 4, 2020 / / One comment

It’s been a week for SoCal bike riders.

According to a release from the Costa Mesa Police Department, a Costa Mesa man was killed in a collision while riding his bike Friday night.

The victim, who was publicly identified only as a 68-year old man, was riding on the 2900 block of Harbor Blvd when he was struck by a tow truck driver around 11:30 pm.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver stayed after the crash, and was not suspected of being under the influence.

Unfortunately, no other information is available at this time.

A street view shows a six lane divided roadway with a wide sidewalk, lined with a number of car dealerships; it’s possible the driver was entering or leaving a car lot at the time of the crash.

Anyone with information is urged to contact to contact Costa Mesa PD Traffic Investigator Darren Wood at 714/754-5264.

The victim’s death comes two days after another Orange County man died in an apparent solo fall 15 miles away while riding in the bike lane on PCH in Seal Beach.

The same day, a 16-year old boy died a week after he was struck by a driver in Santa Paula.

This is at least the 47th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 12th that I’m aware of in Orange County, continuing a very bad year for bike riders in the county.

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

Thanks to Lois for the heads-up.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , ,

Update: 16-year old boy dies a week after Santa Paula bike crash; few details available

October 3, 2020 / / One comment

Heartbreaking news from Santa Paula, as a 16-year old boy died a week after he was struck by a driver while riding his bike.

According to the Ventura County Star, the victim, who was not publicly identified, was critically injured the collision at 5:53 pm on Wednesday, September 23rd, in the 100 block of West Santa Barbara Street in Santa Paula.

He was transferred to the intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where he remained in critical condition until passing away on this past Wednesday.

Unfortunately, no information is available about the crash. A street view simply shows what appears to be a pair of relatively quiet two-lane streets in a residential neighborhood.

Police say the driver, who remained at the scene, did not appear to be impaired at the time of the crash.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Santa Paula Police Department at 805/525-4474.

This is at least the 46th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in Ventura County.

It’s also the second fatal bicycling collision in the county in just one week; both victims died on the same day.

Update: The victim has been identified as 16-year old Santa Paula resident Matthew Ismael Castanon. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Matthew Ismael Castanon and his family and loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Breaking news: Man killed in apparent solo bike crash on PCH in Seal Beach

October 2, 2020 / / 3 comments

Southern California’s killer highway has claimed yet another victim.

The Seal Beach Police Department is reporting that a man was found lying in the bike lane on Pacific Coast Highway near Seal Beach Boulevard around 9:17 Wednesday morning.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.

According to the police, he was apparently riding in the bike lane when he hit some unidentified object, and was thrown from his bike.

The article stresses that no other vehicle was involved.

However, without identifying the object he allegedly struck, it’s also possible that the victim could have been sideswiped by a passing driver, or fallen in an attempt to avoid one.

There’s also no word on whether the victim was wearing a helmet, which might have helped in this situation, depending on the speed he was riding. Or it might have been of no use, since they don’t specify what injuries he suffered.

Hopefully we’ll learn more later.

Anyone with information is urged contact Traffic Investigator Keith Phan at 562/799-4100 ext. 1625, or email kphan@sealbeachca.gov.

This is at least the 45th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eleventh that I’m aware of in Orange County, which is having a very bad year.

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

Thanks to John McBrearty for the heads-up.

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

Bike rider killed in Port Hueneme hit-and-run; no details available

October 1, 2020 / / One comment

Someone was killed riding a bike in Port Hueneme Wednesday morning.

Which is nearly all we know at the moment.

According to the Ventura County Star, the victim was riding somewhere in the vicinity of Ventura Road and Teakwood Street in Port Hueneme around 5:30 am, when he or she was run down by someone driving something.

However, the local TV network says the crash on occurred Ventura at Teakwood.

The victim, who was not publicly identified or described in any way, apparently died at the scene. Meanwhile, the driver fled the scene; no word on whether the police have any information to go on.

There’s also no word on how the collision occurred.

In other words, pretty much all we know is that it happened, and someone died.

Which is pretty damn shameful.

The TV story reports investigators are looking for witnesses, but once again, they don’t tell anyone how they can come forward if they know anything.

This is at least the 44th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in Ventura County.

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

 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Bike rider killed in Carson hit-and-run Saturday morning; third SoCal bike death in two days

September 27, 2020 / / 3 comments

A bad weekend for SoCal bike riders continued to get worse Saturday morning.

Just one day after people were killed riding their bikes in Lancaster and San Diego, a woman apparently lost her life while riding in Carson, thanks to a heartless hit-and-run driver.

According to My News LA, the victim was run down around 6:17 am somewhere in the vicinity of Chico and Dominguez streets, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

She was not publicly identified; the only description was an initial call of a female down.

There’s no word on how the crash happened, and no description of the suspect or the vehicle used to commit the crime.

As we’ve noted far too many times before, there is simply no excuse, ever, to flee the scene following a crash. The driver should face a murder charge for making a conscious decision to leave the victim bleeding in the street if an autopsy shows she might have survived if she’d gotten help sooner.

But probably won’t.

This is at least the 43rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eleventh that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

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

 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Man killed riding bike in early morning Lancaster collision Friday

September 27, 2020 / / One comment

Friday was not a good day for Southern California bike riders.

Just a few hours before a San Diego bike rider was killed in a solo crash, another man lost his life riding a bike in Lancaster.

According to the Antelope Valley Press, the victim, identified only as an adult man, was riding east on Ave I east of 55th Street West at 4:44 am when he was run down from behind by a man driving a Honda SUV.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A street view shows a two lane roadway with a narrow paved shoulder, and no street lighting.

There’s no word on whether the victim had lights on his bike two hours before sunrise, or if there was some other reason why the driver failed to see a grown man on a bicycle directly in front of him.

Sheriff’s deputies say the driver did not appear to be under the influence, and speed did not appear to be a factor.

Which is only partially correct; speed is always a factor in a fatal crash, even if the driver was not exceeding the posted speed limit; slower speeds make collisions both more avoidable and more survivable.

Anyone with information is urged to call Lancaster Sheriff’s Station traffic investigators at 661/948-8466.

This is at least the 42nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the tenth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

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

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Bike rider fatally rear ends city utility truck blocking bike lane in San Diego’s Black Mountain Ranch

September 25, 2020 / / 3 comments

This is why parking should never be allowed in bike lanes.

A San Diego man is dead, apparently because the driver of a city utility truck blocked a bike lane on a steep descent.

According to San Diego’s FOX 5, the victim was riding west on the 14500 block of Carmel Valley Road east of Black Mountain Road in Black Mountain Ranch just before 10 am today, when he crashed into the rear of a city storm water truck parked in the bike lane along the north curb.

An email from the San Diego Council of Bicycle Clubs reports the victim was riding ahead of a companion when he crashed into the truck, which did not have any warning cones or flashers on.

The other rider attempted to perform CPR; however, the victim, publicly identified only as a 42-year old man, was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering severe head trauma.

A photo from the scene shows his mangled bike on the other side of the sidewalk next to the parked truck. There’s no word on whether the truck was occupied, or if there was a reason why it was parked just below a no parking sign.

Unfortunately, California law allows parking in bike lanes except where specifically prohibited by local ordinances. While the street is posted no parking, the signs appear to be spaced too far apart, and it is likely there is an exception for utility workers in the performance of their duties.

Whether that was the case here, or the driver just pulled over for some reason is still unclear.

A street view shows a long, sweeping descent that could have allowed the victim to gain significant speed — although likely not the 45 to 50 mph police originally reported, which exceeds the Strava KOM for that segment.

It seems likely that the victim was descending at speed, not expecting anything blocking the bike lane, and was unable to stop once the truck came into view around a sweeping curve.

It’s also worth noting that, while there is no word on whether the victim was wearing a helmet, bike helmets aren’t designed to protect against hard impacts at relatively fast speeds. Especially one resulting from a near instantaneous stop.

It’s also worth noting that the police found the victim’s cell phone on the side of the road, and were examining it to see if he was using it at the time of the crash.

Which is a pretty good indication that the investigators have never ridden a bike downhill, let alone at high speed.

This is at least the 41st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.

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

Thanks to Phillip Young for the heads-up.

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

Heartbreaking news, as 3-year old boy killed riding a bike in Orange on Sunday

September 21, 2020 / / 3 comments

Just heartbreaking.

The Orange Police Department is reporting that a three-year old boy was killed riding his bike in the Orange County city last night.

According to the department, the boy was stuck by a pickup driver at 1931 East Meats Ave in the Orange Mobile Home Park around 7:19 pm.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, despite the efforts of police officers to save him.

The 23-year old woman behind the wheel remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators; police do not suspect drug or alcohol use.

Unfortunately, no description was given on just how the crash occurred. There’s no word on whether the boy was riding in the street, on the sidewalk, or some other area.

The Los Angeles Times describes the killer vehicle as a Dodge Ram, no model or year given.

However, even the smallest models have a high grill that could have prevented the driver from seeing a small child directly in front of the truck. If it was a larger model, or if it was raised at all, it could have been virtually impossible to see the victim under the best of conditions, let alone at dusk.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Orange Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team at 714/744-7444.

This is at least the 40th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the tenth that I’m aware of in Orange County.

It may also be the saddest one yet.

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

Thanks to John Damman for the heads-up.

 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,
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