A CHP spokesperson placed blame for the 12:05 am crash on a lack of lights on the dark roadway. He added that the 58-year old driver continued north, claiming he didn’t know he’d struck anyone, before turning around and calling 911 after seeing Braley’s body sprawled in the roadway.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, who has not been publicly identified, is not suspected of being under the influence.
However, it appears investigators are already attempting to blame the victim.
“The fault here is still under investigation,” he told CNS. “It could have had something to do with what the rider was wearing, whether she was in the roadway or off to the side. It may take a little time to make a determination.”
So let’s be clear.
The victim’s clothing was not the cause of the collision. She also had every right to ride in the roadway — and to use the full lane on what appears to be a substandard lane.
And she was in no way obligated to use the broken, intermittent and largely unrideable shoulder. Nor should there be any expectation that she would.
The driver should have had his lights on — and most likely, his bright lights — which, if they were functioning properly, should have clearly illuminated Braley on her bicycle in plenty of time to avoid her.
It’s also highly questionable how anyone could hit someone with enough force to kill her, without being away they’d hit someone.
There’s no word on whether Braley had lights and reflectors on her bike, as required by California law after dark. However, given the apparent bias in the CHP spokesperson’s statement, it seems likely they would have mentioned it if she didn’t.
This is at least the 62nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth that I’m aware of in Riverside County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Katlyn Braley and all her family and loved ones.
A Victorville boy is dead, all because someone had to get drunk and get behind the wheel in the middle of the day.
Allegedly, of course.
According to the Victorville Daily Press, a 15-year old boy was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in downtown Victorville Monday afternoon.
The victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, was headed west on C Street at Fifth Street, when he was run down by a driver traveling south on Fifth around 2:01 pm.
He was taken to a local hospital, where he died at 3:19 pm.
A photo from the scene shows what appears to be a mangled mountain bike resting on the curb.
The driver apparently continued without stopping. Sheriff’s deputies arrested 29-year old Victorville resident Hector Castro Loaeza later that night.
Loaeza was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence causing death, hit and run resulting in death, and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He’s currently being held on $150,000 bond.
There’s no word on what led investigators to Loaeza, or how they know he was drunk at the time of the crash, when he wasn’t arrested until hours earlier.
Sad news from Laguna Beach, where a prominent local resident was killed while riding his ebike.
According to the Laguna Beach Independent, 73-year old Norman Rest was found lying in the roadway bleeding profusely Monday evening, after apparently crashing his ebike into a dumpster.
The collision took place sometime before 5:44 pm near Canyon View Drive and Buena Vista Way. Rest reportedly went into full cardiac arrest as he was being treated by paramedics, and died after being taken to a nearby hospital.
The story notes that he was riding without a light, but it’s not clear at this time how long he may have been lying there after crashing his bike.
Canyon View appears to have a steep hill; if he was riding downhill, he could have picked up considerable speed before slamming into the dumpster.
It’s also possible that he could have been crowded off the roadway by a passing car, or that the dumpster could rolled into the street or been hidden behind a curve or some other obstacle.
Rest embarked on a career as a builder after building his own three-story home in Laguna Beach when he was just 21-years old. He went on to found a local sailing club with his father, and was co-owner of Lido Paddle Sports.
That led to co-founding a nonprofit organization with his wife last year dedicated to using paddle boarding to promote mental health for military vets and first responders.
This is at least the 60th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in Orange County.
The last bicycling death in the county was also a solo crash, after a young mother of two crashed her ebike while riding with her family on the San Juan Creek Trail in San Juan Capistrano.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Norman Rest and all his family and loved ones.
November 30, 2021 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Bike-riding man killed in Harbor Gateway hit-and-run; 18th fatal bicycling hit-and-run in Southern California this year
Once again, a man on a bike has been killed by a Southern California driver, this time in LA’s Harbor Gateway neighborhood.
And once again, a heartless coward fled the scene, leaving his victim to die in the street.
The 39-year old bike rider, who has not been publicly identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.
His killer apparently fled without stopping. There’s no description of the driver or the suspect vehicle; given the location and early morning hour, there may not have been any witnesses.
Anyone with information is urged to call the LAPD South Traffic Division at 323/421-2500 or 323/421-2577. As always, there is a standing $50,000 reward for any fatal hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles.
This is at least the 59th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 16th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County. It’s also at least the 7th bicycling death in the City of Los Angeles since the first of the year.
Eighteen of those SoCal deaths have been hit-and-runs.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
November 26, 2021 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on It’s the 7th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive! Donate today!
Donate now via PayPal, or with Zelle to ted @ bikinginla.com.
It’s that time of year again.
No, not the holiday season, which seems to start around Halloween these days.
It’s that wonderful time of year when, just like that guy with the red kettle front of the market, we shamelessly, beg, plead and/or cajole you for your hard-earned cash.
But without all the bells.
I could give you a sob story about how tough this past year has been with my wife and I both out of work. Or what a challenge it’s been to keep this site up on a daily basis as my own body seems determined to kill me.
But hey, we’ve all got problems.
Instead, I’ll ask you one simple question.
Do you enjoy getting all the best bike news on your favorite screen every morning? Or almost every morning, anyway.
And if so, how much?
Okay, so that’s two questions.
The simple fact is, it takes hours every day to scour the internet for news sites, from around the corner and around the world, to find all the latest news from the wild, wonderful and sometimes wacky world of bicycles.
And hours more to present it to you as clearly and succinctly as possible, to help keep you on top of everything you need to know in just a few minutes each day.
Well, almost everything.
Trust me, there are some things you just don’t want to know.
So what’s that worth to you?
I count on your donations to get through the usual dry spell before our sponsors start to renew each spring, assuming they do. Not to mention keep our spokesdog in kibble until things turn around.
But if you can’t afford to give, don’t worry about it. Everyone is welcome here, no questions asked.
Or if you can only afford to give a little, believe me, any amount is deeply appreciated, no matter how large or small. I know how hard it can be when you’re struggling to get by.
Or I may have to start ringing that damn bell on here.
And trust me, I have one.
………
Special thanks to Robert L, Eric L, David V, Mitchell G and Olivia K for their generous donations to the 7th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive, even before we officially kicked things off this morning!
November 26, 2021 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Update: San Diego man murdered by hit-and-run driver in possible intentional crash while riding bicycle in Otay Mesa
The driver fled the scene without stopping. Police are looking for an older model Chevrolet Suburban or Tahoe; there’s no description available on who was behind the wheel.
There’s also no word on how the crash occurred, or why police determined it was deliberate, although people at the recreation center may have seen the crash.
Every hit-and-run driver who kills someone should face a murder charge. This one actually might, if police can find them.
Anyone with information is urged to call San Diego’s Homicide Unit at 619/531-2293.
This is at least the 58th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 17th that I’m aware of in San Diego County, which is experiencing by far the bloodiest year in recent memory.
It’s also the second bike rider intentionally murdered by a driver in San Diego in just the last two months.
A photo from the scene suggests why investigators initially suspected homicide, as muddy tire tracks suggest Mendoza’s killer jumped the curb and drove across the grass field to chase him down.
November 23, 2021 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on 46-year old man riding bicycle dies one day after Hesperia collision
This is not the news we wanted just before Thanksgiving.
The Victorville Daily Press reports that a man has died, one day after he was struck by a driver while riding his bike in Hesperia.
According to sheriff’s investigators, the victim, identified only as a 46-year old Hesperia resident, was trying to cross Main Street at G Avenue when he was run down around 7:34 pm Sunday.
He died Monday, after being flown to a trauma center.
The victim was riding north on G when he allegedly rode out into the street in front of the driver of a Chevrolet Suburban traveling west on Main. There’s no word on who had the right-of-way.
However, given the size and high, flat grill of the massive SUV, a collision at any speed would be difficult to survive.
Any witnesses are urged to call Deputy D. Holland at the Hesperia Sheriff’s Station at 760/947-1500.
This is at least the 57th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
The victim was identified only as a 53-year old, Hispanic La Puente resident; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, Amelia S. Salazar, remained at the scene, and was arrested for vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and driving under the influence causing injury to another person.
There’s no word on how the crash occurred, or what Salazar is accused of using.
This is at least the 56th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 15th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
October 28, 2021 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Driver flees on foot after hitting salmon scooter rider in DTLA, and Long Beach teen rideout marred by shoplifting
LA’s hit-and-run plague just keeps on going.
The LAPD is looking for a shirtless driver who ran off on foot after crashing into a woman riding an e-scooter in DTLA.
The victim was riding against traffic when she was struck, which means the driver probably wouldn’t have faced any consequences if he’d just stuck around.
Instead, he abandoned his car and fled on the sidewalk, for reasons known only to him at this point. It could be that he was drunk or stoned, the car was stolen, or possibly he was in the country illegally and feared deportation.
Or any one of a number of other possible explanations.
Meanwhile, the victim was hospitalized with a head wound, which means there is an automatic $25,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
An Arizona driver who ran a red light and slammed into a Flagstaff bike parade last March, killing one woman and injuring several other people, now faces multiple felony charges for kiddie porn after police discovered thousands of images on his phone when they got a search warrant to determine whether he was distracted at the time of the crash.
This is the cost of traffic violence. A Minnesota man whose license had been revoked faces a charge of criminal vehicular homicide after killing a 73-year old Catholic priest who was riding his bike on the shoulder of a highway; the 26-year old driver has 10 previous convictions for driving with a revoked license in just the last three and a half years. Just one more example of keeping a dangerous driver on the roads until it’s too late. He should have been jailed and his car confiscated after the second offense.
Talk about a rough year. A celebrity chef has filed suit against the NYPD alleging he was brutally beaten for violating a curfew when he attempted to deliver a pizza for a bicycle delivery service, after losing his restaurant when he caught Covid-19.
No bias here. After a Louisiana bike rider was injured in a collision, police bent over backward to blame the victim, while the story fails to mention that the pickup that hit him even had a driver.
International
No surprise here, as data from around the world shows that bikeshare usage goes up with warmer temperatures until it gets too hot, and wet weather discourages people from riding. In other news, water is wet, the pope is Catholic, and bears defecate in wooded areas.
The simple fact is, it takes hours every day to scour the internet for news sites, from around the corner and around the world, to find all the latest news from the wild, wonderful and sometimes wacky world of bicycles.
But 
