Update: Cyclist killed in Newport Beach hit-and-run — 2nd Newport bike fatality in less than 24 hours

September 15, 2012 / / 11 comments

Photo of the collision scene, courtesy of David Huntsman

Unbelievable.

Frank Peters of cdmCyclist forwards word of another cycling fatality in Newport Beach in less than 24 hours.

According to the Newport Beach Police Department, a 57-year old Irvine woman was riding north on Newport Coast Drive between Ocean Vista Drive and Vista Ridge Drive when she was hit from behind by a pickup truck at around 9:45 am. She was apparently riding in a bike lane, on a street with a 60 mph speed limit.

The driver fled without stopping, continuing northbound on Newport Coast.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, where she later died of her injuries.

The suspect vehicle is described as a black full-sized pickup truck, possibly a 2001-04 Toyota Tacoma, with significant damage to the front end.

Anyone with information is urged to contact NBPD Traffic Investigator Eric Little at (949) 644-3746 or email at elittle@nbpd.org.

This is the 55th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the ninth in Orange County — all but one the result of traffic collisions — and the second cycling fatality in Newport Beach in less than 24 hours.

It’s also the 12th hit-and-run death of a cyclist in Southern California in 2012.

My deepest sympathy for the victim and her loved ones.

Thanks to Frank Peters, David Huntsman and Amy Senk of CdM Today for the heads-up.

Update: Corona del Mar Today and the Orange County Register have identified the victim as Cathy Ritz of Irvine. 

Some of the comments below, and others I’ve seen expressed elsewhere, point the finger at poorly designed, high speed streets with traffic lanes that are too wide, encouraging drivers to speed even above the already excessive speed limits, in this case and too many others. Newport Beach, and the other Orange County cities, needs to take a long, hard look at themselves and question just how many fatalities they’re willing to accept before redesigning roadways to work for everyone.

Not just overly aggressive drivers.

Update 2: Bike Newport Beach has identified the victim as highly respected local physician Catherine A. Champion M.D.; no explanation on the discrepancy in naming the victim. 

Update 3: I’m told Ritz/Champion was riding with her husband when she was killed, and that the discrepancy in names may have been the result of keeping her name for professional purposes following her marriage.

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

More bad news — bicyclist killed in Riverside

September 14, 2012 / / Comments Off on More bad news — bicyclist killed in Riverside

As if the woman killed in Newport Beach wasn’t enough, the Southwest Riverside News Network reports that yet another bike rider has been killed, this time in Riverside.

A 60-year old man, who has not been publicly identified, was riding through the parking lot of an office complex at 1220 Palmyrita Ave around 9 am when he was struck and killed by a minibus.

According to a police spokesman, the Riverside resident was headed west through the lot when he rode in front of an occupied Sky Transportation bus. The driver was unable to stop in time, and the victim died at the scene.

This is the 54th bicycling fatality in Southern California so far this year, and the 10th in Riverside County.

My prayers and condolences for the victim and his loved ones.

Update: the Riverside County Coroner’s office lists the victim’s age as 52, with identification still being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

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

Update: Cyclist killed in Newport Beach in apparent right hook collision; 8th OC bike death this year

September 14, 2012 / / 7 comments

Getting word from multiple sources that a woman was killed this morning while riding in Newport Beach.

The victim, identified only as a woman in her 20s or 30s, was riding eastbound on East Coast Highway near Bayside Drive around 10:35 this morning when she was struck by a stake-bed truck traveling in the same direction.

According to Corona del Mar Today, the truck was making a right turn onto Bayside when it ran over the woman in an apparent right hook. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Satellite photos show what appears to be a bike lane on the east side of Bayside, but only a wide right turn lane where the victim may have been riding.

Both the Orange County Register and Corona del Mar Today note that she was wearing a helmet, while the Register says she was in cycling clothes.

However, there’s not a helmet made that can protect a cyclist from being run over by a multi-ton truck.

This death comes just one day after the first ever National Women’s Bike Summit was held in Long Beach, in which a large part of the discussion was about encouraging more women to ride. Maybe we need to start by making our streets safer so the ones who already do can get home alive.

This is the 53rd bicycling fatality in Southern California, and the eighth in Orange County; of those, seven have died in traffic collisions, and one of a fall that may have been cause by health conditions.

Note: If you have a strong stomach, read the comment from Jamie on the Corona del Mar Today site to show just how little human compassion some motorists have when it comes to cyclists. A woman is dead, and this jackass guy rants about disbanding the ‘militant, special interest, “Bicycle Committee”.’  His mom must be so proud.

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

My thanks to Ann, David Huntsman, Ed from the OC Bicycle Coalition, Sydney Hunter, and jg for the heads-up; sorry if I left anyone out.

Update: Corona del Mar Today updates their story to indicate that a witness stopped at the intersection saw the collision as it occurred. According to  Amanda Walter, both the driver and the cyclist were turning right, and the truck was traveling too close to the curb.

“I saw the truck come around the corner and I though, ‘Wow, he’s going too fast,’” she said in a telephone interview. “I saw the cyclist and said, ‘Oh my…God…he’s going to hit her.’ He cut her from behind. She went down and he ran over her.”

The paper reports the victim was initially awake and struggling to speak, but passed away within a few minutes. And apparently, the driver never saw her.

The truck driver kept insisting that he looked twice and the cyclist wasn’t there, Walter said.

According to the Orange County Bicycle Coalition, the victim is still unidentified.

According to Sgt. Mark Hamilton, “The identity of the victim is still unknown at this time. Anyone with information or who witnessed the collision is urged to call the Newport Beach Police Department Traffic Division at 949-644-3742″. If anyone is missing a loved one that was riding a blue bike with white tape and saddle in the Newport area, and they haven’t returned home yet,  please contact the NPBPD.

The OCBC also reports that there have been 16 bike-involved collisions in the last 10 years, though this is the first fatality.

Update 2: Newport Beach bike lawyer David Huntsman offers a little more information about the site of the collision.

By the way I ride this road several times a week. It is truly a nightmare intersection going south, because of the very long high-speed dedicated right turn lane.
 
I was right-hooked into the gas station just south of the intersection when I moved here after returning from Australia two years ago. I didn’t go down, to the surprise of everyone around – including the driver- but mentally marked this as one of the most dangerous intersections around. 
Update 3: The victim has been identified as 29-year old Sarah Leaf.
I’m getting second-hand reports that she was a serious cyclist and a very fast rider, possibly a triathlete. And someone who was very well-liked, who will be sadly missed.
Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Suspect arrested in hit-and-run death of Michael Vega; bike-jacking bank robber and Sat’s Tour de Fat

September 14, 2012 / / 3 comments

Let’s start with good news from the Inland Empire.

The Press Enterprise reports an arrest has been made in the late August hit-and-run death of Michael Vega in Rancho Cucamonga.

According to the paper, published news reports and a phone tip led police to a truck driven by construction worker Jason Cox; after inspecting the vehicle, they arrested Cox on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and hit-and-run resulting in death or injury.

It will be interesting to see how they can make the intoxication charge hold up, since Cox had over two weeks to sober up.

The paper says he’s being held in the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on $250,000 bond.

But before you get too excited, remember this is the same DA and court system that let the street racing killer of Jorge Alvarado off with just three lousy months in jail.

Thanks to Joe Devito for sending the link.

Update: The Inland Valley Daily Enterprise reports that the tip that led to Cox’s arrest came as a result of a video plea for information from the Sheriff’s Department that was posted on their website Tuesday.

Deputies received a tip Wednesday evening pointing them towards Cox, who drove a work truck for a construction company in Chino. When Police inspected the truck, they found heavy front-end damage, as well as paint the matched the truck and the bike.

Cox will appear in court on Monday.

………

A Santa Ana cyclist chases down a bike-jacking bank robber with the help of a stranger, recovering his bike and leading to the arrest of the thief, who had previously failed to carjack three separate vehicles.

The thief may want to consider a new career once he gets out. Which isn’t likely to be anytime soon.

………

This weekend’s big bike news is the return of Tour de Fat at L.A. State Historic Park — a full day of bikes and beer, starting with a can’t miss bike parade through Downtown from 11 to noon, with registration for the parade starting at 10 am.

Entertainment runs from noon to 5 pm. I’ll be there volunteering at the LACBC booth until at least 1 pm, so stop by and say hi; anyone who signs up for LACBC membership gets a token for a free beer.

And if you hurry, there’s still time to sign up to trade your car for a bike worth up to $2,250.

Admission is free. Costumes are encouraged, but remember the forecast is for temperatures in the mid to upper 90s on Saturday. So you might want to dress for the weather and wear as little as possible.

And no, you don’t need arrive by bike; there’s plenty of parking in the area, and it’s walking distance from the Chinatown Metro station.

………

Don’t forget tonight’ Dinner & Bikes (& Cupcakes) with Elly Blue, one of the cycling community’s leading writers and thinkers, presented by LACBC affiliate Santa Monica Spoke.

………

The Los Angeles Valley College Valley Star newspaper takes a look at California’s recently passed three-foot passing law. Jessica Simpson’s dad is given permission to drink again following an August DUI arrest, as long as he stays out of cars, bikes or motorcycles; nice to know the courts take these things not very seriously. West Hollywood teams with Sustainable Streets to offer a free Confident City Cycling course this Sunday. Courtesy of my friends at Altadenablog comes word of a lifelong cyclist and ex-Marine who won’t let MS stop him from riding, turning to Altadena custom bike-maker BlackSmith for a competitive hand bike. A Shell Beach physician is killed by a big rig after allegedly riding through a stop sign in San Louis Obispo; for some reason, a local TV station quotes bike injury stats from the Royal — note that word — Society for Prevention of Accidents. A bicyclist is injured every nine days in Mountain View; maybe he should learn to ride more carefully. It’s starting to seem like open season on bike riding pastors, as a Crestline Baptist minister is injured on a training ride.

People for Bikes wants your helps landing a $250,000 grant. The League of American Bicyclists responds to the National Women’s Bike Summit in Long Beach by announcing the launch of Women Bike to encourage greater female ridership. Analyzing Ebony magazine’s unhappy bicycle wedding. New bike helmet impact sensor automatically calls for help if it detects an impact. Bike Lawyer Bob Mionske offers advice on how to cover your ass if you lead a group ride. The massive Interbike trade show cracks down on non-industry entries; I’ve got a press pass, but no money to go, dammit. A suburban Iowa town is the latest to attempt to ban bikes. A Houston cyclist avoids serious injuries after falling 25 feet off a bridge. A Michigan judge agrees to sentence a hit-and-run driver to a minimum term after she pleads guilty, despite a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit. Why cyclists do the things we do. Remarkably, a jury concludes that it was just a coincidence that a New Jersey driver happened to run down and kill the teenage boy who vandalized his car. New York is failing to protect its vulnerable road users; a blind Detroit attorney sues the city for failing to stop reckless cyclists. Not surprisingly, a Brooklyn driver isn’t charged after hitting a cyclist and driving through a fence into a 50-foot pit. Courtesy of our friend Zeke comes word of a South Carolina salmon cyclist who was the victim of a hit-and-run; also by way of Zeke is a nice story of a successful 25-year old bike shop — as well as word that Albert Einstein came up with the Theory of Relativity while riding his bike. No, really, if you’re going to carry 12 grams of dope on your bike after dark, use some lights.

Editors at the Washington Examiner fan the flames of bike hatred with a highly inflammable headline unsupported by the even-handed article. Edmonton cyclists get their first bike box, which is one more than L.A. cyclists have. Better UK bike commutes through technology. As usual, British courts give a slap on the wrist to a killer driver who failed to see a cyclist before running him over; they’re almost as bad as New York. The World Anti-Doping Agency considers amnesty for riders who confess to drug use, but too late to help Lance, who rudely insists on riding anyway. You won’t want to miss the tongue-in minutes of an appeasing — not appealing — Aussie bike club.

Finally, after a driver attempts to run a cyclist off the road, they talk it out like British gentlemen. And it turns out giving birds the bird won’t stop Aussie avian attacks.

Category: Bikes & the Law, Hit-and-Run, Injuries and Fatalities, Legal Cases, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Stupid driver tricks, Ohio edition — cyclist hit by sidewalk driver

September 13, 2012 / / 2 comments

I’m on the run today, so no time for a full update.

But I couldn’t let the morning go without sharing this story from Ohio bike lawyer Steven Magas.

We’d been trading a few emails about a case he’s working on, and the importance of video evidence in contradicting the usual knee-jerk blame that seems to fall on any cyclist involved in a traffic collision these days. And how security cameras, which seem to be just about everywhere these days, can often catch the incident as it unfolds.

I know.

The idea of me offering advice to an expert attorney like Steve is like telling the Pope how to avoid callouses on his knees.

Especially when my simple suggestion to look for security footage from nearby businesses results in a story like this.

It seems one of his clients had an odd and unexpected collision as he was riding awhile back.

The cyclist, an airline pilot, came up a hill and made right turn around a blind corner; his view of the street he was turning onto was blocked by a small business on the corner to the right until he was well into the intersection.

The moment of impact, capture by security cam.

Then out of nowhere, he was hit by a car, with no idea how the collision occurred or where the car came from.

Naturally, the driver screamed at the rider for hitting his car, even though the cyclist had made his turn on a green light and should have had the right-of-way.

So in an attempt to understand what had happened, he went back to the site of the collision later to take a look around. And just happened to notice a security camera on a building facing the intersection.

He talked to the building owner, and got a copy of the video footage for the time of his collision.

And yes, it had captured the full thing.

Car parked on the sidewalk, facing the wrong way, just prior to pulling out and hitting the cyclist.

Including the moments just prior to the collision, showing the driver illegally parked on the sidewalk — on the wrong side of the street, no less — hidden from view by the building to his right.

Yes, you read that right.

He was parked on the sidewalk, facing oncoming traffic.

And just as cyclist rounded the corner, the driver pulled out into the oncoming traffic lane, on the wrong side of the road and against the light, slamming into the bike rider with no warning.

So naturally, he insisted the rider was at fault. Despite, as Steve points out, a) illegally parking on the sidewalk, b) illegally parking facing traffic, c) illegally pulling out into the intersection against the light d) illegally entering traffic on the wrong side of the road.

But other than that, he didn’t do a damn thing wrong.

Okay, except failing to observe the right-of-way, and making sure the way was clear before pulling out.

Oh, and parking next to a fire hydrant.

At least, that’s the approach his insurance company seems to be taking, denying the claim despite the video footage proving their client was at fault.

Un-effing-believable.

I’m not always the world’s biggest fan of lawyers.

But I thank God we have people like Steven Magas, and the other bike lawyers listed over there on the right, to fight for our rights when logic and the law seem to go out the window.

……..

Don’t forget tonight’s meeting to discuss improving safety on the east end of PCH in Malibu. I’m not sure yet if my schedule will allow me to be there, but if you ride PCH — or would like to, if it was safer — this meeting matters.

And I’ve received word from Caltrans that PCH will be open to cyclists this weekend, though subject to delays, despite lane closures on Saturday and Sunday for the Nautica Malibu Triathlon.

Category: Bikes & the Law, Car vs Bike, Legal Cases / Tags: , , ,

Lancaster cyclist killed in collision with empty school bus

September 12, 2012 / / 2 comments

The Antelope Valley News reports that a young Lancaster woman was killed in a collision with a school bus on Monday.

Twenty-two year old Alexandria Romero was riding west on Avenue G at Sierra Highway when she reportedly rode through a posted stop sign into the path of an out-of-service school bus traveling at 50 mph.

The driver attempted to brake, but was unable to stop in time, striking her bike with the right front of the bus. Romero was pronounced dead at Antelope Valley Hospital; at 50 mph, a collision with a bus — or anything else — is unlikely to be survivable.

Comments to the story speculate on why she failed to observe the stop sign.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to know why she didn’t stop at what should have been a highly visible intersection. It’s possible that she may have been careless or distracted, or could have been able to stop due to a mechanical failure or some other reason. Or she could have misjudged the speed of the bus, and thought she had time to make it across the intersection.

I’m always suspicious of any reports that a cyclist ran a stop sign or red light in the apparent absence of independent witnesses. While it doesn’t seem to be the case here, drivers have an inherent interest in blaming the victim in any fatal collision.

This is the 52nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 15th in Los Angeles County; it’s the first fatal bike collision in the Antelope Valley in 2012.

Thanks to Antelope Valley bike advocate Michele Chavez for the tip.

……..

In a related story, I’ve received word that a woman who was seriously injured in a hit-and-run collision in Santa Clarita last week may have died of her injuries, but have been unable to find any confirmation. If anyone has any information on that collision or the condition of the victim, please let me know. Thanks to grrlyrida for the heads-up.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,
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