Archive for Update

Update: Arrest made in Expo Park road rage attack; driver charged with murder, hit-and-run

November 4, 2015 / / Comments Off on Update: Arrest made in Expo Park road rage attack; driver charged with murder, hit-and-run

Evidently, it was a secret.

In a surprise announcement, My News LA reports a suspect in last month’s fatal road rage assault near Exposition Park is under arrest — and has been since four days after the October 15th incident.

Thirty-two-year old Andrew Williams was scheduled to be arraigned today on felony counts of murder and hit-and-run in the death of 35-year old Ruben Wharton Vanegas, who had not been previously identified.

That confirms an earlier witness report that Williams had been arguing with Vanegas, and had threatened to run him over before doing exactly that.

Williams has apparently been in jail the past 16 days in lieu of $1 million bond. He faces 25 to life upon conviction, according to the site.

Update: Williams arraignment has been delayed until November 20th.

Category: Bikes & the Law, Hit-and-Run, Injuries and Fatalities, Legal Cases, Road Rage, Update / Tags: , , , , , ,

Update: Bike rider killed in Carson when shipping container falls off flatbed truck

October 27, 2015 / / 2 comments

You’ve got to be kidding.

A bike rider lost his life in Carson this evening, for no reason other than he was there.

According to KTLA-5, a man was riding his bike on Santa Fe Avenue near Warnock Way around 5:05 pm Tuesday evening when a shipping container fell off a flatbed truck and landed on him.

He was pronounced dead at the scene; he has not been publicly identified.

The LA Times reports the truck somehow struck a railroad bridge, dislodging the massive container.

To make matters worse, the victim was not even riding in the street. KTLA says he was on the sidewalk when it fell on him, most likely as the truck was passing him.

Based on the limited description, there was absolutely nothing he could have done to avoid it. The only question is whether the driver struck a support, or if the load was too high to pass under the bridge.

This is the 65th bicycling fatality in Southern California, and the 26th in Los Angeles County.

Update: KABC-7 reports that the coroner’s office has identified the victim only as an Asian male, and confirms that the truck was passing the victim when the load fell off. 

According to a witness, a similar wreck occurred the previous day; fortunately, no one was hurt in that one. He blames trucking companies for cutting corners because truck drivers are on strike at the ports of LA and Long Beach. 

As a result, the companies are hiring flatbed truck drivers who simply strap the containers on, and who are paid by the load, rather than the hour, encouraging them to take chances. 

Today, it may have cost a man his life. 

Update 2: The LA coroner’s office has identified the victim as 51-year old Long Beach resident Robert Castorena.

Update 3:  BAC member David Wolfberg forwards what appears to be Robert Castorena’s Facebook page. 

Meanwhile, the LA Times fills in details about shipping companies and how the collision occurred; the truck apparently scraped the underneath of the railroad underpass, breaking the cables that secured the container.

No word on whether the driver, or the company he worked for, will face charges. 

Update 4: Police report the driver may face charges depending on the outcome of the investigation; they appear to be looking into whether the load was too high for the bridge. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Robert Castorena and his loved ones.

 

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

Update: West Covina bicyclist killed in (alleged) drunken late-night hit-and-run

October 27, 2015 / / One comment

For once, there was a cop around when he was needed.

Unfortunately, it came too late for a bike rider in West Covina last night.

Multiple sources are reporting that a bicyclist was killed in a high-speed hit-and-run just before midnight, and the allegedly drunken driver arrested moments later just a few blocks away.

Forty-four-year old La Puente resident Jose De Jesus Ruiz-Villanueva was riding his bike north on the 1100 block of South Valinda Avenue, just above Merced Avenue, at 11:49 pm when he was hit from behind by a car traveling at a high rate of speed.

A police officer who was writing a report at nearby Melinda Elementary School heard the collision, and gave chase as the driver sped away, he stopped the car on Cameron Ave, where he noticed substantial damage to the vehicle.

According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, a second officer went back to the scene, and found Ruiz-Villanueva dead at the scene.

The paper reports he had been on his way to work when he was killed.

Police arrested 25-year old Presley Danielle Rodriguez of Glendora on suspicion of felony driving under the influence causing great bodily injury or death and felony hit-and-run. She was booked on $100,000 bail.

Unfortunately, this occurred in Los Angeles County, where cases like this are usually plea bargained away, leaving the drivers to face little or no jail time.

This is the 64th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 25th in Los Angeles County.

Eight of those 25 deaths have been hit-and-runs.

Update: The driver, Presley Danielle Rodriguez, faces up to 15 years in prison on charges of hit-and-run and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. And for a change, the court appears to be taking this case seriously, increasing her bond to $150,000, $50,000 more than prosecutors requested.

The SGV Tribune reports Ruiz-Villanueva was on his way to work at A-1 Power Sweeping Co in Baldwin Park; his bicycle was his only form of transportation. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jose De Jesus Ruiz-Villanueva and his family. 

Category: Bicycle Safety, Hit-and-Run, Injuries and Fatalities, Update / Tags: , , , , ,

Update: Twelve-year old Oceanside boy killed in collision with pickup while riding his bike to school

October 22, 2015 / / 8 comments

Sometimes you just want to scream.

A 12-year old Oceanside boy is dead, evidently because a driver neglected to look both ways before pulling out of a driveway.

According to multiple sources, the victim apparently struck the side of the driver’s pickup as he pulled out of an RV park driveway at 1510 South Coast Highway at 7:03 this morning.

The Seaside Courier reports the driver was turning left onto the Coast Highway when he heard a thump on the side of his truck. He made a U-turn into another driveway, and got out to find the victim lodged under his rear tire.

The boy’s bike was lying nearby, as other drivers helped guide the truck off of him, according to the San Diego Union Tribune. He was flown to Tri-City Hospital, but died a few minutes later.

Despite a lack of witnesses, police suspect the victim was riding against traffic in the bike lane, while on his way to a nearby school.

However, even if he had been riding the wrong way, he should have been clearly visible unless the driver neglected to look to his right as he prepared to pull into the center turn lane.

It’s also possible that the boy would have survived if the driver had simply stopped when he heard the thump, which was most likely the sound of his bike hitting the side of the truck.

A 12-year old boy is unlikely to have been riding fast enough to suffer significant, let alone life threatening, injuries by colliding with the side of the pickup. It’s probable that the fatal injuries were caused when the driver made his U-turn with the boy trapped underneath.

This is the 63rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 11th in San Diego County.

Update: The victim has been identified as Logan Lipton, a champion surfer who loved skateboarding and frequently rode to school. 

Tragically, though, his uncle says he was unusually apprehensive about going to school his bike on Thursday.

Update 2: A comment below from Barbara says the driver is a bicyclist himself, and is very torn up about this, which is only natural. 

She also says that he didn’t see Logan on his bike because the sun was just beginning to rise.

However, even at that early hour, there should still be enough light to see. And the sun could not have been in the driver’s eyes because the street runs north and south, and he would have been facing west. 

We can sympathize with the driver; something like this must be devastating to live with. But it’s far worse for Logan’s parents, family and friends.

It’s entirely possible that Logan may bear some responsibility for what happened if it can be shown that he really was riding against traffic. And he would have been more visible with a light at that early hour, if he didn’t have one on his bike.

But let’s not forget that cars are big, dangerous machines, and it only takes a momentary lapse in attention to have life altering consequences. 

Update 3: A gofundme account has been started to help the family pay for funeral expenses; Logan’s father is a Carlsbad police officer.

He was honored by his fellow surfers with a paddle out on Sunday.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Logan Lipton and all his family and friends.

 

 

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

Update: Bike rider dies following wrong way collision in Boyle Heights last week

October 20, 2015 / / 5 comments

Word is just coming in that another bike rider has died after being hospitalized following a collision.

Last week EGP News reported that a bike rider had undergone surgery after suffering major injuries while riding in Boyle Heights.

The victim was riding against traffic on westbound Fourth Street near South Mission Road around 10:15 pm on Monday, October 12th when he was hit head-on; the driver remained at the scene.

An email from his niece identifies the victim as Adolfo “J.R.” Haro. The family just learned of the collision and his death because he was not carrying identification.

She also reports the driver was speeding.

A vigil will be held and a ghost bike installed at 6:30 tonight.

This is the 61st bicycling fatality in Southern California, and the 23rd in Los Angeles County; it’s also the 10th bicycling death in the City of Los Angeles.

Update: An LAPD officer reports that Haro was walking his bike in the streets against traffic, rather than riding, even though there was a sidewalk he could have been using.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Adolfo “J.R.” Haro and his family.

Thanks to Danny Gamboa for the heads-up.

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

Huntington Beach bike rider has died following last week’s bike lane collision

October 19, 2015 / / 3 comments

Sometimes, our worst fears are realized.

That was the case last week, as the Orange County Register made a brief mention of a bicyclist who critically injured when he was struck from behind while riding in a Huntington Beach bike lane.

Sadly, they announced today that he did not survive his injuries.

The 29-year old victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding east on Warner Avenue at Springdale Street at 5:27 pm Tuesday when a driver veered into the bike lane and struck him from behind.

He was taken to UCI Medical Center, where he died on Saturday, four days after he was injured.

The driver remained at the scene, and police do not suspect drugs or alcohol use. No word on why he moved into the bike lane where the victim was riding; however, since the wreck occurred at or near the intersection, he may have been making a right turn.

A street view shows a typical six lane Orange County street with a center turn lane, and wide lanes built for excessive speed.

This is the 60th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 16th in Orange County; that compares with 74 in SoCal and 16 in the county this time last year.

It’s also the third bicycling death in Huntington Beach this year, and the eighth in just the last two years.

Update: A comment below from Bill Selin caused me to go back and check my records, revealing two errors.

One was the Garden Grove death of Suzy Ramage and her dog, which had been mistakenly categorized as Los Angeles County, rather than OC. The other was an unknown rider also killed in Garden Grove a few weeks later, which I had neglected to add to my database. 

As a result, I have corrected the totals above to reflect one additional fatality in Southern California, and two in Orange County.

I apologize for the error.

Update 2: A gofundme account has been set up for the victim. I’m told that his name won’t be officially released until his parents can arrive here from Mexico to identify the body.

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

Category: Bicycle Safety, Car vs Bike, Update / Tags: , , ,

Update: Road raging driver intentionally kills bike rider in Exposition Park hit-and-run

October 15, 2015 / / 6 comments

KABC-7 is reporting that a bike rider was killed in a hit-and-run near LA’s Exposition Park Thursday morning.

The collision occurred around 9 am near South Vermont Ave and West 39th Place, which places it just west of the Coliseum.

No information is available on the victim or how it happened at this time.

The suspect vehicle is a silver or white full-size SUV with a male driver, last seen making a left turn onto 39th. The vehicle may have a broken driver’s side mirror.

That suggests the collision took place on northbound Vermont at or before 39th. A satellite view shows a four-lane street on Vermont with a median and center turn lane, while 39th is an undivided two-lane street.

Anyone with information is urged to call the LAPD.

This is the 58th bicycling fatality in Southern California, and the 23rd in Los Angeles County; it’s also the ninth in the City of LA.

Three of of those deaths in LA, and seven in the county, have been hit-and-runs.

Update: KTLA-5 identifies the victim as a 35-year old man, and places the location across the street from 3833 S. Vermont Ave, next to a bus stop. 

The report also says the driver was last seen fleeing north on Vermont, rather than turning onto 39th, as the initial report indicated.

Update 2: It gets worse. According to KABC-7, the driver intentionally ran down the victim following an argument over who had the right of way. 

A witness to the crash reports the victim had attempted to cross Vermont against the light while the driver had the right-of-way, leading to an argument between the two. 

The driver, who must have gotten out of his SUV, pushed the rider over before threatening to run over him.

Then he apparently got back in his car, and did exactly that.

That makes this murder, rather than just hit-and-and. As if that isn’t bad enough.

Update 3: The City of Los Angeles offers a standing $50,000 reward for any fatal hit-and-run. 

Update 4: KNBC-4 reports the victim’s bicycle is missing; however, the story is not online yet.

Update 5: I’m told a ghost bike will be placed at the scene at 6:30 pm tonight (Thursday).

Update 6: A report on KTLA-5 indicates that both the victim and the driver were headed north on Vermont before the altercation. They also report that vehicle may be a domestic SUV, and that the driver sped off with the bike still stuck underneath, which explains why it wasn’t found at the scene.

Update 7: Anyone with information is urged to call the LAPD’s South Traffic Division at 323/421-2577.

Update 8: According to My News LA, an arrest was made in this case four days after the incident, but apparently no public announcement was made. 

Thirty-one-year old Andrew Williams has been held on $1 million bond in the death of Ruben Wharton Vanegas, who had not been previously identified. 

Williams was scheduled to be arraigned on felony counts of murder and hit-and-run on Wednesday, November 4th; he faces 25 to life upon conviction. 

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

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

Update: Bike rider killed by apparent drunk driver in Lake Elsinore

October 11, 2015 / / 6 comments

There’s no excuse. Period.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, a bike rider has died as the result of a collision with an allegedly drunk driver in Lake Elsinore.

The victim, identified only as a 21-year old man from Murrieta, was riding on Railroad Canyon Road south of Summerhill Drive around 8:58 pm Friday, when he was hit from behind by a 75-year old driver.

Police arrested the driver at the scene after concluding that she had been drinking.

The bicyclist was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died the following day.

The press release does not say how far below Summerhill the collision occurred, or which direction they were traveling.

A satellite view shows two lanes headed south, with a right turn leading onto a freeway onramp, and an optional right turn from the center lane. Northbound, there are three lanes, with an additional two left turn lanes leading onto the freeway, and a double left at Summerhill, along with a right-turn only lane.

Nearly 30 people are killed by drunk drivers in the US every day, at a cost to society of over $59 billion dollars a year.

The cost to their loved ones is beyond measure.

There is simply no excuse for getting behind the wheel after drinking or using drugs. Ever. If you think you’re okay to drive, you’re not. And someone else is likely to pay the price.

This is the 57th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh in Riverside County.

Update: The Press-Enterprise has identified the victim as Murrieta resident Mark Heigel. The story reports the 75-year old driver who killed him, Thelma Jeanette Trachy, was released from jail Saturday.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Officer Roberge at 951/776-1099 or sheriff’s dispatch at 951/776-1099.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Mark Heigel and his loved ones.

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

Update: Bike rider killed in apparent Sante Fe Springs train collision

October 9, 2015 / / 4 comments

Word is just coming in that a bike rider was killed in Sante Fe Springs today.

The Whittier Police Department tweeted at 2:49 this afternoon that their officers were investigating the death of a bicyclist at the railroad intersection of Rosecrans and Marquardt.

No other details are available at this time.

The implication is that he or she was hit by a train, but that has not been confirmed yet.

Henry Fung writes that the train tracks run diagonal to the streets at that intersection, and the warning gates are placed prior to the intersection, rather than next to the tracks. So it could be possible for a rider to be inside the gates when they come down, and not see the warning before a train comes.

This is the 56th bicycling fatality this year, and the 22nd in Los Angeles County.

Update: The Whittier Daily News reports the victim, identified only as a man, was riding north along Rosecrans around 2:45 pm when he slipped between the crossing arms, and was struck by a freight train.

Let this serve as a reminder to never, ever go around, under or through railroad crossing arms. They’re down for a reason.

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

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

Update: Bicyclist found dead in Cathedral City hit-and-run Saturday night

October 4, 2015 / / 6 comments

The local TV station calls it an accident.

A better description would be the actions of a heartless coward with a callous indifference to human life.

Or maybe just murder.

According to the Desert Sun, the body of an unidentified bicyclist was found lying in the roadway on Dinah Shore Drive in Cathedral City around 9 pm Saturday. It was clear he had been hit by a car.

KESQ-TV reports that the victim, identified only as a man in his late 30s or early 40s, was found on the westbound side of Dinah Shore just west of Whispering Palms on the Dinah Shore Bridge. His bike was found 50 feet away in the median on the eastbound side of the road.

There were no apparent witnesses, and no description of the car or driver at this time.

A satellite view shows a four lane roadway with a center divider west of Whispering Palms. Based on the limited description, there’s no way to tell which direction the victim was riding, whether he was on Dinah Shore or attempting to cross it.

There’s no speed limit sign visible in the street view; however, the distance his body was apparently thrown would suggest he was hit at a high rate of speed.

There’s also no way of knowing whether he might have survived if the driver had stopped and called for help as the law, and basic human decency, requires.

This is the 55th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth in Riverside County. That compares with 69 in Southern California this time last year, and six in the county.

Update: The victim has been identified as 37-year old Sergio Reynoso; a gofundme account has been established to help pay funeral expenses. The driver reportedly turned himself in on Tuesday, which would have given him or her plenty of time to sober up.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Sergio Reynoso and his loved ones.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Hit-and-Run, Injuries and Fatalities, Update / Tags: , , , , ,
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