Note: Due to tonight’s breaking news, you can find this week’s updated bike events on the Events page.
It’s happened again.
For the third time in just over 28 hours, a Southern California bike rider has been killed in a collision with a motor vehicle, this time in Santa Ana.
The Orange County Register reports 52-year old Santa Ana resident Alfonso Franco was riding on the south (eastbound) side of the 2100 block of West 17th Street around 10:45 pm Thursday when he attempted to cross over to the north side. He was struck and killed by a vehicle headed west on 17th.
Franco was pronounced dead at the scene.
The paper reports there were no controlled signal lights in the area that would have allowed the victim to cross safely.
A satellite view shows a six lane roadway with a 40 mph speed limit; at that hour, it’s likely the driver could have been traveling much faster.
This is the 16th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third in Orange County. It’s also the second in the county in the last two days, and the fourth bicycling death in Santa Ana since 2011.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Alfonso Franco and his family.
