Archive for Injuries and Fatalities

Bike rider killed in crash near Redlands; no details available

October 30, 2020 / / 2 comments

Another person has been killed riding a bicycle in Southern California.

And once again, almost no details are available.

According to My News LA, a bike rider was killed in a collision at 5:32 Thursday morning on San Timoteo Canyon Road at Redlands Boulevard in Redlands.

However, the location appears to put it in Riverside County, near the border with San Bernardino County south of Redlands.

A street view shows a heavily trafficked T-intersection, with two-lane roadways in each direction.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know at this time; there’s no word on the identity of the victim or how the crash happened.

Let alone why.

This is at least the 53rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the tenth that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

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

 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , ,

Update: Man killed riding bike in early morning Piru crash; CHP rushes to blame the victim

October 27, 2020 / / 5 comments

The more I think about this, the angrier I get.

Details are still sparse, but multiple sources report that a middle-aged man was killed riding his bike in Piru early Tuesday morning.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding on westbound Highway 126 east of Main Street in Piru when he was struck by a driver just after 5:45 am.

He died at the scene. The driver remained and cooperated with investigators.

Naturally, CHP investigators didn’t hesitate to blame the victim.

After an on-scene investigation took place, CHP officials determined the bicyclist may have been riding in the traffic lanes and the driver of a Nissan Sentra was unable to avoid colliding with the bicyclist, according to a CHP news release. The driver sustained minor injuries.

Never mind that bicyclists have as much right to be in the roadway as motorists do. Or that the traffic lane is exactly where they’re supposed to ride.

According to California law, while bike riders are allowed to ride on the shoulder, they’re neither required or expected to. And nothing to the right of the fog line is legally considered part of the roadway.

In addition, CVC 21202(a)(4) clearly states if the traffic lane is too narrow safely share — which includes most right hand lanes in Southern California — the rider may use the full lane.

(3) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this section, a “substandard width lane” is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.

Then there’s statement from the CHP that the driver was unable to avoid the collision.

So let’s be clear.

Unless the victim was riding without lights or reflectors in the early morning darkness, the driver should have been able to see him. But if he wasn’t, the CHP would undoubtedly have mentioned that.

And if the driver had his headlights on, which would be legally required at that hour, he would have been able to see him anyway — unless he was driving too fast for his headlights, which is a violation of California’s Basic Speed Law.

“No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property.”

The key word there in this case is visibility, which includes darkness.

So unless the victim was riding against traffic — which again, the CHP would have mentioned — the question remains why the driver couldn’t see a grown man on a bicycle directly in front of his or her car?

And why is the CHP once again blaming a victim for his own death?

Because we all deserve to know.

Anyone with information is urged to call the CHP at 805/553-0800.

This is at least the 52nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in Ventura County.

Update: The victim has been identified as 36-year old Gregory Alcozar, who the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office describes as being a transient. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Gregory Alcozar and his loved ones.

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

Update: Woman riding bike killed by semi driver in Long Beach hit-and-run; 2nd fatal Long Beach bicycling hit-and-run in 3 months

October 22, 2020 / / One comment

A woman has been killed while riding a bike in yet another SoCal hit-and-run.

And once again, it happened in Long Beach.

According to the Long Beach Post, the victim was struck by the driver of a semi-truck at Artesia Blvd and Downey Ave around 9 pm Wednesday.

The driver continued without stopping, leaving his victim, identified only as a 56-year old Bellflower resident, to die at the scene.

Unfortunately, there’s no word on which direction she was riding, or how the crash happened. And no information on which way the driver fled.

The truck is described only as a semi with a white cab and large white trailer. It may or may not have any visible damage.

Anyone with information is urged to call Long Beach Police investigators at 562/570-7355.

This is at least the 51st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 14th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

It’s also the second fatal bicycling hit-and-run in Long Beach in the last three months.

Update: The victim has been identified as 56-year old Lisa Termin of Bellflower.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Lisa Termin and all her loved ones.

Thanks to John McBrearty for the heads-up. 

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

Thieves plunder Scottish Paralympic team, drivers slam San Jose diners, and Pasadena’s first 2-way protected bikeway

October 13, 2020 / / Comments Off on Thieves plunder Scottish Paralympic team, drivers slam San Jose diners, and Pasadena’s first 2-way protected bikeway

Sadly, yesterday’s lead item has been confirmed, as a woman was killed riding her bike, and her partner injured, in a Valley Glen crash Sunday night. 

Photo by Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas from Pexels.

………

Seriously, how low can they go?

Scottish bike thieves plundered the country’s Paralympic team, making off with 20 high-tech handcycles and bicycles worth over $26,000 — many of which the victims had purchased themselves.

The bikes aren’t likely to turn up on this side of the Atlantic, but still.

The team deserves to get their bikes back. And the scumbags thieves deserve to go away for a long damn time.

Thanks to Carly Silver for the heads-up.

………

This is who we share the outdoor restaurants with.

Apparently, it doesn’t pay to dine out in San Jose, where drivers slammed into outdoor diners twice in a single day.

Thanks to Austin Brown for the link.

………

Pasadena invites you to learn more and offer your comments about the city’s first two-way protected bike lane.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

No bias here. A London tabloid breathlessly reports that nearly two-thirds of bike riders were unaware of some traffic laws, while downplaying the fact that 41% of older drivers had the same problem, seemingly unaware of which group posed the most risk to others.

Once again, a British bike rider has been pushed off his bike by someone in a passing car, this time a man in his 70s. Seriously, there’s not a pit in hell deep enough.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A San Diego rabbi says he was attacked by a bike-riding teenager who hit him over the head with a closed fist while yelling a racial slur, part of a group of teens who have allegedly been harassing the temple. There is simply no excuse, ever. Period. 

There isn’t a pit deep enough for the man who ran up from behind a woman on an Illinois bike path and pulled down her pants and underwear, before riding off on a bicycle.

Police in New York are looking for a bike-riding thief snatching iPhones from people’s hands.

………

Local

LA Magazine looks at the race between attorney Grace Yoo and Current L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas to replace termed out Herb Wesson in LA’s 10th Council District, who they note will determine what housing projects get built and who gets bike lanes in the district.

 

State

She gets it. A La Jolla resident calls on the town to redesign its streets to curb speeding drivers.

Bay Area bike riders will have limited access to the Bay Bridge during a roadway realignment project.

Sad news from NorCal, where a bike rider was killed in a crash with an Anderson cop while allegedly riding his bike in the fast lane of a local highway; needless to say, police were quick to absolve the officer of any blame.

 

National

Wired says the US needs to adopt the industrial policies of the Asian countries we rely on for bicycles to overcome our own bike shortage.

Bicycling gives you an eight-point pre-ride checklist to help you get back home from your next ride. And yes, you can read it on Yahoo if you’ve fallen prey to the magazine’s draconian paywall.

A 70-year old Oregon bike rider was killed by a 93-year old driver who just kept going after the fatal crash. Yet another tragic reminder that driving shouldn’t be a lifelong privilege, and there comes a time when we all need to give up the keys for the sake of others around them.

Good kid. An eleven-year old Texas boy rode his bike 18 miles to raise awareness for pregnancy and infant loss in memory of a stillborn baby.

Chicago Streetsblog says the city should use the new San Jose bike plan as a model to reboot bicycling in the Windy City. Then again, it wasn’t too long ago that LA’s bike plan was hailed as a model for other cities, and you know how that turned out.

Police in Illinois are looking for a hit-and-run semi driver who kept going after injuring a pair of bicyclists, one critically.

It takes a special kind of jerk to steal the recumbent bike a Michigan man built to ride across the US after recovering from a heart attack.

A crowdfunding campaign has raised nearly $2,400 in a single day to help a popular Ohio handyman replace his bike after he was struck by a driver.

A pair of teenaged Virginia drivers face up to 20 years behind bars for killing a 59-year old bike rider while allegedly street racing.

 

International

Fast Company says sleek e-cargo bikes represent the future of delivery.

It takes a major schmuck to steal the flowers from a roadside shrine to a young English woman killed in a collision while riding her bike.

A British man overcame physical and mental obstacles to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, just over a year after he was nearly killed when a driver slammed into his bike. Then again, he could have just ridden his bicycle up the mountain.

Heart-stopping video of London boy riding his bike out from behind a large truck, only to get hit by a van coming from the opposite direction — then he just picks his bike up and walks away.

A Scottish man dusts off his old bike, and learns to overcome his fears and love bicycling again.

Bicycling looks at Afghan women defying the country’s embedded patriarchy by taking to their bicycles. As usual, you can read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you out.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cycling Tips goes deep into how on Jon Ornée set a new record for the fastest century, set while drafting a minivan on a NASCAR track at an average speed of 42.6 mph, just one year after he was struck by a driver.

American cyclist Chloe Dygert tells her local paper she has no regrets about her horrific crash while defending her world time trial championship, and remains focused on recovering in time for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

Sky Sports considers the unfulfilled career of Britain’s first Black cycling champ, who never made the country’s Olympics team despite winning three national titles, for reasons they suggest should be obvious.

 

Finally…

Yes, he may be a bike thief, but at least he’s wearing a mask. Is there anything cargo bikes can’t carry?

And now you, too, can have your very own replica of this year’s Tour de France winning bike for the low, low price of thirty grand.

For that price, I want the real thing. And the yellow jersey that comes with it.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And wear a mask, already. 

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

Update: Woman killed riding bike in Valley Glen collision; second rider hospitalized

October 13, 2020 / / 3 comments

Sadly, we now have confirmation of the bad news we mentioned yesterday.

According to the LA Daily News, two people were struck by the driver of an SUV while riding their bikes in LA’s Valley Glen neighborhood Sunday evening.

One victim, identified only as a woman, died at the scene. Her riding companion, who I’m told was a man, was hospitalized with what was described only as a non-life threatening injury.

The collision occurred around 7:50 pm Sunday as they were riding on Coldwater Canyon just north of Victory Boulevard.

The 35-year old driver remained at the scene; she was not arrested.

There’s no official word on how the crash happened. However, I’m told the victim was run over by the SUV, while the other rider was knocked to the curb.

Unfortunately, that’s a common problem with SUVs. The high, flat grills tend to push bike riders and pedestrians under the vehicle in a crash, as opposed to the lower, sloped grills on most cars, which usually push victims onto the hood and windshield.

This is at least the 50th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 13th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

Update: A ghost bike was installed for the victim on Wednesday, October 14th. I’m told she was named Ana, from Sun Valley, and the mother of four young children aged six months to 12 years. 

All of whom will now have to now up without her. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Ana and her loved ones.

Thanks to Steve for the heads-up.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

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.

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