Archive for Bicycle Safety

41-year old man riding bike killed by Colton hit-and-run driver; 13th SoCal bike rider killed by hit-and-run drivers this year

Once again, someone on a bicycle has been murdered by a hit-and-run driver.

This time in Colton early Monday.

But unfortunately, that’s almost all we know.

According to the Daily Bulletin, the victim, identified only as a 41-year old man, was struck by a driver around 12:54 am near North Rancho Avenue and West Johnson Street.

He died at the scene.

There’s no word on how the crash occurred, or any information about the suspect or their vehicle at this time.

The driver should face a murder charge once they’re caught for making a conscious decision to leave another human being to die in the street.

But they won’t.

This is at least the 39th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.

A full third of those deaths have been hit-and-runs.

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

Wrong way bike rider killed in early morning Long Beach crash

A man was killed riding his bike against traffic in Long Beach early today.

According to the Long Beach Police Department, the victim was riding east in the westbound lanes of Anaheim Street near Coronado Ave around 12:15 am Saturday, when he was struck by a driver traveling west on Anaheim.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. He has been identified only as a 32-year old Long Beach resident.

The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators; at this time, police don’t believe they were distracted, speeding or under the influence.

Anyone with information is urged to call Long Beach Police Department Collision Investigation Detail Detective Kevin Johansen or Detective Jeff Meyer at 562/570-7355.

This is at least the 38th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 14th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

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

Woman killed attempting to walk bike across I-5 in San Diego’s Pacific Beach

Once again, someone with a bike has been killed on a SoCal Freeway.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, a woman was struck by a driver while attempting to walk her bike across southbound Interstate 5 in San Diego’s Pacific Beach neighborhood.

The crash occurred around 9:30 am Tuesday, after she had been walking her bike on the shoulder of the freeway south of Garnet Ave.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, died at the scene.

The driver stopped and cooperated with CHP investigators. Neither the driver or her passenger were injured.

No explanation was given for why she was walking her bike on the freeway, or why she tried to cross the freeway.

This is at least the 37th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in San Diego County.

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

Update: 28-year old Duarte man riding bicycle killed in DTLA assault just after midnight Tuesday

A man on a bicycle was murdered when he was assaulted in Downtown Los Angeles early this morning.

According to My News LA, the victim was riding near the intersection of Seventh and Flower in DTLA when he was pulled off his bike by an unknown assailant, striking his head on the pavement.

He died at the scene.

There’s no word on whether his bicycle or anything else was taken, or if there was some other reason for the attack. Or any reason at all.

KTLA-5 identifies the victim only as a man in his 30s.

Anyone with information is urged to call 877/527-3247.

This is at least the 36th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 13th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County. It’s also the eighth in the City of Los Angeles.

Update: The victim has been identified as 28-year old Duarte resident Oscar Gaytan.

Update 2: Gayton’s family reports he had attended a game at Dodger Stadium, and was likely headed to the nearby Metro station to catch a train home when he was attacked.

Police are looking for a suspect described only as a man in his 30s. 

A crowdfunding page to help pay funeral expenses for the professional nurse has raised slightly less than $10,000 of the $25,000 goal. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Oscar Gaytan and his loved ones.

Rancho Cucamonga man killed in Upland collision with apparent Metrolink train Wednesday morning

It seems like a collision with a train would be the easiest kind of crash to avoid.

Yet it still happens far more often than it should.

That was the case in Upland Wednesday morning, where the Fontana Herald News reports a 53-year old Rancho Cucamonga man was killed by a train.

The victim, identified as Leo Steven Beveridge, was struck by a train at the Metrolink crossing on Central Ave at 8:53 am, and pronounced dead at the scene nearly 40 minutes later.

It’s not clear from the limited information whether Beveridge was struck by a Metrolink train, or if other lines might use that same track.

There’s also no word on whether there was a working railroad crossing at the site, or why he would have been unaware of an oncoming train.

However, it’s a tragic reminder to never cross under or around crossing gates, or assume it’s safe to cross after one train passes, because there’s often another coming from the opposite direction.

This is at least the 35th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Leo Steven Beveridge and his loved ones. 

31-year old man killed in solo Thousand Oaks ebike crash; 34th SoCal bike death this year

At least this time, there wasn’t a driver involved.

That we know of, anyway.

The Ventura County Star is reporting a man was killed crashing his ebike in Thousand Oaks early Sunday.

According to the paper, the victim, identified only as a 31-year old man, was riding with a friend when he crashed into a wooden fence at Borchard Road and North Los Vientos Drive around 1:30 am.

He died after being taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks.

There’s no word on what caused him to crash into the fence. It’s possible he could have been run off the road, or could have simply lost control of the bike for some reason.

A street view shows bike lanes on Borchard, with a low wooden fence lining the sidewalk in each direction west of Los Ventos.

A Ventura County sheriff’s captain also notes the victim wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. Which only matters if he died of a head injury, or if his injuries might have been survivable with one.

This is at least the 34th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in Ventura County.

Update: The victim has been identified as 31-year old Lemoore resident Dustin Rodrigues. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Dustin Rodrigues and his loved ones.

Read the story on Yahoo if you get blocked by the paper’s paywall. 

Update: Man killed riding bike near Santa Clarita in Canyon Country; victim ID’d as popular Rapha ride leader

Please make it stop.

The deadliest year in memory got even worse, when someone was killed riding their bike in Canyon Country this afternoon.

According to KTLA-5, the victim was struck by a driver around 12:45 pm on the 21500 block of Sand Canyon Road near Santa Clarita.

They were pronounced dead roughly 45 minutes later, apparently the result of head trauma.

There’s no word on the identity of the victim, or what may have caused the crash. There’s also no information on the driver, raising the possibility they may have fled the scene.

Hopefully we’ll learn more soon.

This is at least the 33rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 12th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

Update: This story is still developing. I received the following email from Hamid Valai with additional information contradicting much of. the earlier reports.

Hi Ted, thank you so much for reporting on our deadly streets.  I rolled on the accident scene in Santa Clara today minutes after it had happened.

First, the news is wrong.  This did not happen in Sand Canyon.  It happened on the Santa Clara Truck Trail, about a mile south of Fire Department Camp 9 (who first responded to the scene).  Here is a Google maps link of the accident site.

I had just met this group minutes before the accident and talked to the victim while we were filling up our bottles at the Fire Department mentioned above.  I didn’t get his name, but he was a really nice guy who told me about all the trails in the area (I was visiting this area and not really familiar with it).  They descended The Santa Clara Truck Trail a couple of minutes before me.  I was devastated to roll on to the accident scene.

Also, the driver did not flee the scene.  He was on the phone with 911 on speaker phone, while they gave CPR instructions to the cyclist’s friend.  He was probably in his late 20’s or early 30’s driving  a BMW convertible.  The front windshield was destroyed along with other front-end damage from the impact.

I did not see the accident.  I have no idea who was at fault.  All I know is that it happened around a tight bend in the road, where you have no idea who’s coming around the corner.

You can see my Strava post with some pictures and my description.

This was absolutely devastating.  A wonderful day or riding turned tragic.  I just attended the Andrew Jemel memorial ride last week in Griffith Park.  As an avid cyclist, this is very disturbing.  Thanks for all the help in reporting on cycling fatalities.

Update 2: The victim has been identified as 37-year old Los Angeles resident John Hermoso

Update 3: Phil Gaimon added this to what we know. 

Update 4: Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for the CHP to blame the victim

According to a CHP spokesperson, Hermoso was riding on the wrong side of the road as he rounded a blind curve, and slammed into the driver’s BMW, which was traveling at a sedate 15 mph. 

Yes, 15 miles per hour. Which seems pretty damn unlikely. 

It also doesn’t make sense that an experienced ride leader would take a blind curve on the wrong side of the road. Or that a collision with a vehicle traveling at 15 mph would result in fatal injuries, especially for a helmeted rider, unless he was traveling downhill at an extreme rate of speed. 

What makes far more sense is that both Hermoso and the driver were hugging the centerline, and traveling at far more than 15 mph. And that the CHP investigated with their usual windshield bias. 

But we’ll never know what really happened until we hear from the other people on the ride. 

And shamefully, Rapha Los Angeles has still had nothing to say about the tragedy

My deepest sympathy and prayers for John Hermoso and al his loved ones.

Thanks to Hamid Valai and Michael Kim for the heads-up.

69-year old man riding bike killed in Simi Valley right hook crash; 32nd SoCal bicycling death already this year

There just doesn’t seem to be any end to the carnage on Southern California streets this year.

Ventura radio station KTVA is reporting a man riding a bicycle was killed in a Simi Valley collision Wednesday afternoon.

According to Ventura County Star, 69-year old Simi Valley resident Stephen Wright was riding his “10-speed style” road bike north on Sycamore Drive, south of Los Angeles Ave, when he was right hooked by the driver of commercial flatbed truck around 12:15 pm.

He died at the scene.

The driver stopped following the crash and cooperated with investigators. Police don’t suspect he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

There’s a painted bike lane on northbound Sycamore, but nothing to protect riders from vehicles turning onto Los Angeles, or into the parking lots below it.

A police commander notes Wright was wearing a helmet, which clearly didn’t do any good in this case. Nor would it be likely to in a collision like that.

Anyone with information is urged to call Simi Valley Traffic Officer Bryan Sarfaty at 805/583-6189 or email bsarfaty@simivalley.org.

This is at least the 32nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second that I’m aware of in Ventura County.

That puts us on a pace for nearly 100 bicycling deaths this year — almost twice the average from just a few years ago.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Stephen Wright and all his loved ones. 

Update: Bike-riding Guatemala native killed by hit-and-run driver in Koreatown crash, his brother suffers minor injuries

Yet another SoCal bike rider has been killed by a heartless coward, who left his victim to die in the street.

This time, in an early morning crash in LA’s Koreatown neighborhood.

According to a press release from the LAPD, the victim was riding to work with his brother around 3:20 am today when they were both run down from behind on westbound Olympic Blvd, east of Mariposa Ave.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, died at the scene. His brother was treated for minor injuries.

However, a crowdfunding campaign set up by the victim’s coworkers identifies him only as Leonidas, who died in front of his brother Wilder.

Police are looking for the driver of a white Jeep Cherokee, who fled west on Olympic.

The bizarre sequence of events began when the driver was parked on the north curb of Olympic Blvd. As they pulled away, the victim of an unrelated vehicle theft jumped on his hood, believing the driver had something to do with the earlier crime.

The driver sped off with the other man still clinging to his hood, before he fell off into the street.

Security cam video posted by KTLA-5 appears to show the crash occurring as the driver was attempting to get away from the man, which may have distracted him.

Both victims appear to jump up and chase after the driver in the immediate aftermath of the crash; there’s no word on when the victim succumbed to his injuries, or what caused his death.

Reflectors can be seen on their bikes, but they don’t appear to have had lights in the nighttime darkness. There’s also some confusion over whether the driver’s SUV was stolen, or whether he may have been involved in nearby tagging.

The crowdfunding campaign to send the victim’s body back home to Guatemala has raised over $9,400 of the $10,000 goal.

There is a standing $50,000 reward for any fatal hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles. Anyone with information is urged to call West Traffic Detectives at 213/473-0234.

This is at least the 31st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 11th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County. It’s also the seventh in the City of Los Angeles.

Twelve of those SoCal deaths have been hit-and-runs.

Update: A late report from KNBC-4 says the brothers were just four blocks from their jobs at a Koreatown bakery, where Leonidas worked as a pastry chef, when they were killed.

Update 2: The victim has been identified as 39-year old Leonidas Accip Serech. The driver has not been publicly identified. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Leonidas Accip Serech and his loved ones. 

Update — Bike rider killed in Griffith Park AIDS/LifeCycle hit-and-run; driver may have been under the influence

News is just breaking that someone on a bicycle was killed in a hit-and-run in LA’s Griffith Park this afternoon.

According to KCBS-2, the victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, was stuck by a driver shortly before 4 pm, in the 4600 block of Crystal Springs Drive.

They were dead by the time first responders arrived at 4:54 pm.

The driver fled on foot; KCBS reported on air that he or she had been captured by police.

There is no information on how the crash occurred.

Video from the scene shows two cars, one with a shattered windshield and apparently missing a wheel; a broken white road bike lies in the center of the street some distance up the road.

The station reports the victim had just left a bicycling event in the park, which may have been the AIDS/LifeCycle SoCal Day on the Ride. Another comment suggested he or she was just a mile from the finish line when he was killed.

Hopefully we’ll learn more later.

This is at least the 30th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the tenth this year in Los Angeles County.

Eleven of those deaths have been hit-and-runs.

Update: The victim reportedly was a man in his 70s. The driver appeared to be under the influence, following his arrest by park rangers

Update 2: AIDS/LifeCycle has identified the victim as Andrew Jelmert, a five-time participant in the annual fundraising ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. 

UPDATE 3: WeHo Times cites participants in the AIDS/LifeCycle ride expressing shock at Jelmert’s death, with one saying the driver passed him at an estimated 80 mph just moments before the crash, despite the park’s 25 mph speed limit. 

According to the site, Jelmert had worked as a real estate agent and investor for over 30 years. 

 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Andrew Jelmert and all his loved ones.

Thanks to Lionel Mares and Metaverse HOA President for the heads-up.