Tag Archive for bicycling fatalities

Two weeks into the new year, two cycling deaths

January 14, 2011 / / 2 comments

Evidently, Kevin Unck wasn’t the first cyclist killed in Southern California this year after all.

On January 4th, I’d linked to a story about a Ventura cyclist who was injured after losing control of his bike while rounding a curve at 30 mph — oddly similar to what happened with the popular masters racer Unck, who lost control after hitting a patch of gravel and mud, and slid into the path of an oncoming car.

In this case, though, there wasn’t another vehicle involved. Forty-eight year old Joseph Powers was riding on Highway 150 on the morning of January 3rd, when he lost control near the intersection with Gobernador Canyon Road in the Carpenteria Valley and was airlifted to the hospital.

After that, there was no follow-up story in the news, which wasn’t really surprising. There was no indication that Powers injuries were life threatening, and today’s modern emergency care can quickly stabilize most accident victims. And most news outlets don’t usually run stories on people who survive their injuries.

Powers wasn’t so lucky.

Word broke today that he was pronounced dead on January 6th at the Ventura County Medical Center. According to the Ventura County Star, he died of blunt force chest injuries, his death was ruled an accident.

According to an obituary in the Star, Powers, a native of Ventura County, was an employee of the Ventura Unified School District, and was passionate about his friends, cycling, baking and his dogs. Messages left online suggest he was well liked; services will be held tomorrow at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

My condolences to his family and loved ones.

We may never know what caused an experienced cyclist like Powers to lose control. However, it may very well have been something similar to the bad road conditions that took Unck’s life; the heavy rains over the holidays could have easily left mud and debris on the roadway.

Let their deaths be a reminder that while the bright California sunshine following a storm can call us out onto the roads, it’s best to assume that bad weather will leave behind bad road conditions.

And ride accordingly.

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There will be a memorial ride for Kevin Unck on Saturday, January 22nd; check back with the Cycling Connection IE for more information.

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

14-year old cyclist shot and killed in South L.A.

December 30, 2010 / / One comment

In yet another heartbreaking case of apparent gang violence, a 14-year old kid is murdered while riding his bike in South L.A.

According to the LAPD, he was riding around the intersection of St. Andrews Place and 87th Street around 7:25 pm last night when a gunman shot him from behind. And as usual, it’s the details that are most saddening, as the police note he dropped his bike and attempted to run before collapsing about a block away.

14-Year-Old Boy Shot While Riding His Bicycle

A 14-year-old Black male, has been shot to death while riding his bicycle.

On Wednesday, December 29, 2010, at about 7:25 p.m., the teenage victim was riding his bicycle around Saint Andrews Place and 87th Street. An unknown suspect(s) approached the victim from behind and started shooting at him. The victim was hit by the gunfire, then dropped his bicycle on the street and started to run. He collapsed around the 1800 block of 87th Street.

The suspect(s) ran in an unknown direction. Detectives believe the motive for this crime is gang related, however, there is no suspect description at this time.

Los Angeles City Fire Department personnel responded to the location and transported the victim to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.

Anyone with information is asked to contact LAPD 77th Street Area Criminal Gang and Homicide Division Detectives Eric Crosson or Samuel Arnold at (213) 485-1383. After-hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also text “CRIMES” with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web Tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with “LAPD.” All calls and contacts are anonymous.

Another life wasted. Another young man who will never grow up.

Another future wiped out and another family destroyed in a single moment of insanity.

Thanks to George Wolfberg for the heads-up.

Category: General, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Details on the August death of cyclist and scientist Doug Caldwell; driver walks with no ticket or charges

December 6, 2010 / / 15 comments

For months, it’s been one of the mysteries of L.A. cycling.

Late last August, word slowly broke that a popular cyclist and leading scientist had been killed while riding to work, and his companion injured.

Then nothing.

No news coverage. No additional information. Not one single mention in the local media. And nothing about what happened, or why.

For weeks afterwards, Google’s seemingly infinite well of information came up dry, returning only the story I’d written myself. Had it not been for a brief Facebook comment from the man who’d been riding with him, I might have questioned whether it actually happened.

However, I received confirmation from a number of sources, publicly and privately, that the information I’d reported was true. I held back one piece of information I’d received privately, though; I was told that Caldwell was married to KCRW host Chery Glaser, but because the family had not come forward, I left that out to respect their privacy.

Since then, people have come to my site almost every day looking for more information about what happened, and every few weeks I’d get an email asking for details.

And every time, I’d have to send my apologies, because I didn’t know any more than I did before.

Last weekend, though, I received an email from LAPD Sgt. David Krumer, who’d been asked to look into the matter by Colin Bogart, LACBC PLACE Grant Coordinator in the City of Glendale; evidently, he’d been getting the same requests for information that I had.

And after answering them, he forwarded the information to me, as well.

The driver of the vehicle was traveling eastbound on Foothill Blvd at approx 7:10 a.m. on 08/20/2010  He rear-ended Doug and another cyclist.  It appears he was going the speed limit but too fast for given conditions.  The driver indicated that he had the sun in his eyes and did not see the cyclists.  If glare was an issue then even if he was going the speed limit he was traveling at an unsafe speed and therefore he was in violation of 22350 VC (Basic Speed Law).  The driver was not cited because we can not write a ticket for a violation we did not observe.  The driver was not arrested as there was no evidence that a crime occurred.  Doug died the following day from massive head trauma.  The other cyclist had scrapes and abrasions with the most serious injury being the loss of some front teeth.

Right there, amid the dry details of the tragedy, you’ll find one of the biggest problems cyclists face on our streets.

There’s no shortage of laws already in place to protect us on the roads. But most are unenforceable unless a police officer actually witnesses the infraction. And while they can clearly conclude after the fact what violations occurred, there’s not a damn thing they can do about it unless the infraction rises to the level of a crime.

Sgt. Krumer goes on to note that the collision occurred on a clear day, and the riders were properly positioned in the right-hand lane. And while the driver failed to see two adult cyclists, he had not been drinking and wasn’t using a cell phone at the time of the collision.

And yes, they verified that.

And while it’s commonly assumed that a driver who hits someone else from behind is almost always at fault, that refers to civil liability, rather than criminal culpability. So even though the family may have a wrongful death case, the driver won’t face any criminal action.

It seems beyond comprehension that someone can continue driving — without slowing down — despite being unable to see what’s directly in front of him. And as a result, kill one cyclist and injure another, yet face no criminal charges. Or even a traffic ticket.

But that’s the way our laws are written.

And that’s something that has to change.

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In another horrible tragedy, seven cyclists were killed in Southern Italy on Sunday — early reports indicated eight deaths — when a driver hit the riders head-on as he was attempting to pass another vehicle.

Reports indicate that the driver was speeding; he also tested positive for marijuana and had been banned from driving just seven months earlier. Two additional riders were injured, one very seriously, as well as the 21-year old driver and his 8-year old nephew, who was also in the car (earlier reports indicated the injured passenger was the driver’s 10-year old son, which seemed unlikely given the age of both).

Road.cc quoted the one of the paramedics on the scene:

“What we found on our arrival this morning was a terrible scene. Indescribable,” said Silvio Rocco, one of the first paramedics on the scene. “Not even a bomb could have caused something like this.”

He continued: “We were had been alerted about an incident in which, according to initial reports, only one cyclist was involved. Arriving on the scene, however, we saw that we were dealing with a massacre. They were all people whom we knew personally, so the blow was even more distressing. We alerted other emergency staff and the helicopter. It’s something that is truly disturbing.”

Meanwhile, two brothers were killed Sunday in Britain’s Cumbria region when their bikes were run down from behind by a bus, on what is considered the most dangerous road in the country.

And a North Carolina woman remembers her late husband, killed while bicycling last October, by endowing a chair in his honor at the local symphony.

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The Elysian Valley segment of the L.A. River Bike Path is now open; Will suggests that we should all cooperate in not being an impediment to other peoples enjoyment on shared-use bike paths, while Bicycle Fixation points out the plusses and minuses of bike paths along the water.

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Fourth Street gets sharrows from Hoover to Cochran, while York Blvd gets new bike lanes from Eagle Rock to Highland Park. The UCLA Bicycle Academy revives to stir campus bike advocacy; next meeting is July 7th. Altadenablog looks at the kickoff of Saturday’s Tour of Altadena. Turning your trainer into an Epic Ride. Santa Monica’s Cynergy Cycles hosts Red Bull Pro Rebecca Rusch, the Queen of Endurance Cycling, on Wednesday the 8th at 7 pm. The Inland Empire Women Cyclists will hold a toy ride on Sunday, December 12th. A writer says a planned tunnel to complete a key Marin County bike route makes sense, just not right now.

Cycle chic circa 1945; raise your right hand, and repeat the Cycle Chic Manifesto. The Alliance for Biking & Walking opens nominations for their 2011 Advocacy Awards. People for Bikes says it’s time to make biking contagious, too. Learning to ride just below the sweat threshold. Evidently, human beings just look better on a bike. A planned Mississippi River Bike Route could take riders from the Minnesota headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico. Bike riders must rank below dogs in the moral zeitgeist. An OpEd in the Daily News says New Yorkers should learn to love their bike lanes, but the paper editorializes that NYDOT commissioner Janette Sadik Khan needs to back up bike lanes with facts; what, a 40% reduction in serious injuries and death isn’t good enough for them? In a classic example of government in action, a Boston neighborhood paints — then removes — bike lanes. Thanks to the efforts of local businesses, a sheriff’s supervisor and inmates at a county work farm, a six-year old girl with cerebral palsy will get a custom-made bike for Christmas.

Peter Gabriel rides a bike. How to stay safe on winter rides. Copenhagenize lists the world’s most bicycle-friendly cities based on usage; the only American city on the list is Davis, CA. Bike lane snow removal in Copenhagen. Auckland cyclists say they’re in an undeclared war, as a motorist is charged with careless driving in the deaths of three cyclists last month, and a widowed husband says the driver is a victim, too. A 19-year old Indian woman was killed for not bringing a bicycle as her dowry.

Finally, just a slight boo boo in London, as someone forgot to order the track for the 2012 Olympic velodrome. And a Tennessee PSA says you better be pimpin’ with that helmet on tight.

No really, I think they’re serious.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

Breaking news: Michael Nine case ends in hung jury; retrial begins next week

November 20, 2010 / / 3 comments

Somehow, I missed this story last night; fortunately, Richard Masoner at Cyclelicious seldom seems to miss anything.

He sends word that the trial of Jose Louis Huerta Mundo, charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the July death of cyclist Michael Nine in Newport Beach, has ended in a hung jury. According the Daily Pilot, there’s no word on how the jury broke down in in favor or against conviction.

However, the courts aren’t wasting any time; a new trial is set to begin on Tuesday, November 23rd.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

Memorial ride for James Laing, and why it’s important to remember those who died

November 20, 2010 / / 7 comments

Jim Laing, photo courtesy of his sister Peggy Laing-Krause

Late word is that the memorial ride for James Laing scheduled for Saturday morning will be held rain or shine.

Sponsored by the San Fernando Valley Bicycle Club, the easy, 16-mile ride is being held in memory of the cyclist killed by an alleged drunk hit-and-run driver in Agoura Hills on October 23rd, and will visit the roadside memorial where he was killed. The ride is scheduled to begin at 8 am at the Agoura Hills Bicycle John’s, 29041 Thousand Oaks Blvd.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to be there; if you can’t, or if you read this later, I hope you’ll join me in offering a short prayer or a moment of silence for Jim, his wife Lulu and all of their family and loved ones.

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A couple of friends raised a good point lately.

They said that, while they enjoy reading about biking in this overgrown traffic-choked city we call home, it’s depressing to read about the seemingly endless barrage of deaths on SoCal streets lately.

I couldn’t argue with them; that’s something I’ve worried myself. And trust me, if you think it’s depressing reading things like that, try writing about them.

So let me explain why I do it.

It’s certainly not to suggest that cycling is dangerous. The number of people killed or injured on bikes pales in comparison to the number of miles we ride every day. And as studies have shown, the benefits of bicycling more than outweigh whatever risks we may face on the roads.

Though you can certainly improve your odds by doing simple things like using lights after dark, signaling, stopping for red lights and riding with traffic.

But there are reasons why these stories need to be told.

First, it’s import to remember the victims.

Except in rare cases, traffic fatalities seldom make the news. Or if one does, it’s usually just a few paragraphs buried in the paper or on a news website.

If you’ve been a reader here for awhile, you may have noticed that few things offend me more than a news report that doesn’t tell you much more than someone was killed while riding a bike.

Nothing about how it happened or why, or who was responsible; nothing about the victim or the heart-wrenching hole that’s been torn in the lives left behind. Sometimes, not even a name, or any follow-up once it’s released.

On rare occasions, the press gets it right. Other times, I feel like someone has to make sure they aren’t forgotten. And when I look around, I see that someone is usually me.

I’ve received enough comments and emails from family and friends of the various victims to know that it offers at least some comfort to know that someone, even a total stranger, cared enough to say something.

Second, I want to put whatever pressure I can on the mainstream media to same them into reporting these stories.

Somehow, we long ago reached the point where traffic fatalities ceased to be news. The 33,000 or more deaths that occur on American roads each year have come to be seen as collateral damage, the cost of getting from here to there — if we even stop to think about it at all.

We don’t want to consider the carnage on our highways, or the 93 people who leave home every day and never return.

But it’s something we have to think about, because the cost is too damn high.

The average American driver has long ago forgotten that a motor vehicle is an exceptionally dangerous thing. When we look at our cars, trucks, vans and SUVs, we see friendly, almost anthropomorphic machines that carry our loads and get us where we want to go.

And no one ever looks in the mirror and sees a careless, distracted or overly aggressive driver.

But maybe we should.

It’s responsibility of the press to be that mirror, and force us to take a cold, hard look at ourselves. Even if we don’t like what we see.

It may be too much to ask them to report on each of the nearly 31,000 or more fatal collisions every year (the numbers don’t add up because some collisions result in more than one death). But the relative handful of bicycling deaths — 630 nationwide last year — can, and should be, reported.

Because along with pedestrians, we’re the ones most vulnerable to the actions and distractions of those with whom we share the road.

Finally, it has to stop.

No one should have to risk their life simply because he or she decided to go out for a bike ride, or chose to benefit our city and planet by choosing a healthier and less harmful mode of transportation.

Compared to 33,000 total traffic deaths, 630 may not seem like much. But even one death is one too many — let alone 14 in the last four months alone.

As others have pointed out, the death of a cyclist is no more tragic than the death of pedestrian or a motorist, or any of the other countless accidental or violent deaths that occur in our cities everyday.

I learned a long time ago, though, that I can’t fight every fight, no matter how much I may care. But this is one I can take on.

I’m a cyclist, and this website is about bicycling.

That makes it my fight.

Our fight.

And I intend to do everything in my power to make sure that the last bike death was the last bike death.

If we can do that, then the loss of people like Jim Laing and Danny Marin may not feel any less tragic or heartbreaking than they do today.

But maybe, just maybe, some good will come out of them.

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In a non-bike related case, a driver with two previous DUI convictions gets 15 years to life for causing a fatal freeway collision by trying to pass rush hour traffic on the shoulder at over 70 mph while high on grass and prescription drugs.

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Bike Talk airs Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

Flying Pigeon sponsors its next Get Some Dim Sum Ride on Sunday, November 20th, including a visit to the Arroyo Arts Collective 18th Annual Discovery Tour; riders meet at 10 am at Flying Pigeon LA, 3714 N. Figueroa St. in Highland Park.

Flying Pigeon and the Bike Oven host the free Spoke(n) Art Ride on the 2nd Saturday of every month; the next ride will take place on Saturday, December 11th, starting 6:30 pm at 3714 N. Figueroa St. in Highland Park.

Bike Long Beach sponsors a two part Traffic Skills 101 Course to teach cyclists how to ride in traffic. November’s session has been cancelled due to expected rain; the next class is scheduled for Wednesday, December 15th from 6 – 8 pm, with part two following on Saturday, Dec. 18 from 9 am – noon at Cal State Long Beach.

Mark your calendar for the LACBC’s all-day Holiday Open House on Tuesday, December 28th at the Library Alehouse, 2911 Main Street in Santa Monica. Festivities begin at 11 am and continue until closing with great food and beer, fun and raffle prizes; a percentage of the days sales will be donated to the LACBC.

Explore the effects of bicycles on art and culture at Re:Cycle — Bike Culture in Southern California, at U.C. Riverside’s newly relocated Sweeney Art Gallery at the Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts, 3834 Main Street in downtown Riverside, exhibition continues through December 31st.

The Bikerowave will ring in 2011 with a New Years Eve party, starting at 8 pm on December 31st at 12255 Venice Blvd.

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Damien Newton presents three more candidates to lead LADOT; lets just hope the Mayor reads Streetsblog. Bicycle Kitchen still has workshops open this month, including one Saturday morning on wrenching bottom brackets and headsets. And I though getting a flat from a late night pothole was a problem. CicLAvia explores uncharted territory, as the biking community finally discovers South L.A. Work starts on the northern extension of the Orange Line Bikeway. Bikes and ebikes crash the L.A. Car Show. Pasadena City College students discuss why they ride. Bike-banning USC may soon provide cyclists and pedestrians with their own bike boulevard; maybe one day they’ll even be a Bike-Friendly University, but I’d put my money on UCLA first. Charlie Gandy invites you to ride Long Beach in search of the perfect tres leche. Just Another cyclist covers the vital topic of bike lights, particularly now that it’s getting dark earlier. A Palo Alto cyclist is hit by a salmon hit-and-run driver. To clip or not to clip, that is the commuting cyclists’ question. San Francisco cyclists get five new green boxes on Market Street.

Sure, you can prepare your bike for winter storage, but why would you — especially if you live in L.A.? Good advice: grant yourself permission to be a beginner. Helmet cams and carbon wheels for junior racers won’t be banned after all. A comparison of bike commuting benefits in the US and the UK. A Portland writer says please don’t dump your trash in the bike lane, or you’ll hurt his dad. Serial numbers and Samaritans unite three hot bikes with their owners. An OKC thief makes his getaway by bike with a large flat-screen TV. A Chicago cyclist decides to keep riding after getting doored. People for Bikes offers an introduction to federal funding for bicycling, while Streetsblog DC says the GOP wants to take transportation funding back to the 1950s and an influential group fights bike projects in the district. A DC cyclist gets hit by a cab, then ticketed while still in the hospital — without ever speaking to a cop about the collision. Family members question whether a rider’s apparent solo accident was actually a homicide.

A Toronto cyclist killed in a collision with a streetcar may not have been able to see the traffic signal. Alejandro Valverde fails to overturn an Italian doping ban. Biking Barcelona’s beachfront bikeway. After a Kiwi cyclist is fatally doored, officials decide to remove the offending parking spots. Unbelievably, the Singapore driver who hit a cyclist, bouncing him off her windshield, before driving home with the bike still stuck under her car, gets off with an $800 fine. Pneumatic tires — like the ones on your bike — were invented because John Dunlop Jr. had a bumpy ride on his trike.

Finally, to help get you in the mood for the upcoming holiday season, how about a Christmas tree made entirely of bikes?

Category: General / Tags: , , , , ,

Oxnard cyclist killed in Sunday collision; 14th SoCal bike death in last four months

November 16, 2010 / / 4 comments

In yet another SoCal cycling fatality, 20-year old Rene Ambritz was struck and killed in Oxnard on Saturday.

The collision occurred about 6:45 pm at the intersection of Ventura Road and West Hemlock Street. The Ventura County Star reports that Ambritz was riding against traffic with no lights, and was struck by a van driven by Paul Castenada after Ambritz ran the red light. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

His death marks the 14th cycling fatality I’m aware of in Southern California since the beginning of August.

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In other cycling collisions, an unidentified ninja cyclist is in intensive care after reportedly running a red light and getting hit by a car in Thousand Oaks late Sunday; the rider was wearing dark clothing and riding without lights, and had no identification on him at the time of the collision.

And fifty-nine-year old cyclist Donald Schick suffered major injuries in a Castaic hit-and-run on Sunday afternoon. Stephanie Leann Argo of Castaic was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and felony hit-and-run.

Outside the Southern California area, a teenage Vacaville cyclist was killed after being hit by two cars last week; thanks to Witch on a Bicycle for the link.

Meanwhile, a noted NorCal track coach was severely injured in a hit-and-run while riding his bike; reading between the lines, it sounds like it could have been an intentional assault by an impatient driver. And a dangerous stretch of highway may finally get a bike lane, too late for the rider killed there two weeks ago; it was the 2nd cycling fatality for the driver involved.

Finally, Jose Luis Huerta Mundo, the driver who killed OC cyclist Michael Nine last July, is currently on trial for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. A Costa Mesa writer notes that Mundo was in the country illegally and had been cited four previous times for driving without a license, as well as once for not registering his truck, and had ignored two signs prohibiting the illegal maneuver that resulted in Nine’s Death. However, he stresses that now is not the time to hate.

Seriously, as angry as we may get, is there ever a good time for that?

Category: General / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

In Southern California, eight biking deaths in three weeks may be tragic, but it isn’t news

October 8, 2010 / / 4 comments

Early last Saturday morning, Daniel Marin died at the bumper of an alleged drunk driver.

The 17-year old Sylmar cyclist was riding near San Fernando High School at the corner of Chamberlain Street and Laurel Canyon Blvd when he was struck and killed by a car driven by Shawn Fields.

Reports don’t indicate how the collision occurred. Police only say that they found him lying unresponsive in the street when they arrived at 2:11 am, with Fields sitting nearby in the driver’s seat of his car.

Fields was charged with Gross Vehicular Manslaughter while Driving Under the Influence (DUI), and released on $100,000; his next court date is scheduled for Wednesday, October 27th at the San Fernando Courthouse.

Some people call it murder, and I can’t — and won’t — argue that point. Anyone who gets behind the wheel after drinking is fully responsible for whatever follows, and should be held fully accountable.

I only wish that was the end of the story.

Because by my count, Danny Marin was just one of eight Southern California cyclists killed in the last three weeks alone.

Think about that.

That’s over 1% of all the bicycle related deaths in the entire U.S. for all of 2008. Or looking at it another way, that extends to a rate of 137 deaths over a full year — nearly 20% of the 718 cyclists killed nationwide in 2008.

Yet not one word from the local media.

Clearly, there’s no one cause, since those deaths run the gamut from a retired firefighter killed in a collision with a pedestrian, to hit-and-run and drunk driving cases, and collisions where the rider may have been responsible.

But just as clearly, there are too damn many riders dying on our streets.

It’s time to take notice. It’s time to get mad. And it’s long past time to do something about it.

So be careful this weekend. And ride as if your life depends on it.

Because it does.

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On a related subject, Dj Wheels reports that a restitution hearing was held last month for Robert Sam Sanchez, convicted in the hit-and-run death of Rod Armas:

On Sept. 20, a restitution hearing was held to determine the amount of monetary damages suffered by the Armas family.  Rod Armas’ wife, Karen Michelle Armas testified regarding the ambulance and hospital bills for the night of the incident, funeral service expenses, loss of earnings for Rod Armas, a former L.A. County Probations Officer, her loss of earnings as a registered trauma nurse, counseling expenses and future medical expenses for Christian and psychological therapy for her and Rod’s three children.

Judge Lawrence Mira set restitution at $1,587,248 plus 10% interest as of 6/28/09.  He also reserved jurisdiction to modify restitution as to attorney fees, treatment for Christian’s knee and therapy for the family.

There were some issues that defense counsel brought up regarding the accuracy of all the figures, including the cost of the bicycles damaged for which Mrs. Armas’ could not provide the estimate from the shop at this hearing, and any off set Sanchez could receive as a result of his insurance company making a payment to Mrs. Armas as part of a settlement.

The restitution hearing was continued to Dec. 12.

He also reports that a plea bargain was reached in the case of William Keith Square in the hit-and-run death of an unnamed cyclist in Carson:

On Sept. 22, a plea bargain was entered between the District Attorney’s office and the Public Defender representing Mr. Square.

Felony hit and run charges, DUI charges and 2nd degree murder charges were dropped in exchange for a plea to Count 1 – gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated – PC 191.5(a), which carries a state prison sentence of 4, 6 or 10 years.  Judge John Cheroske sentenced Square to the max term of 10 years in state prison and ordered him to pay a $2000 restitution fee.  Square has been in custody since being arrested shortly after the incident, so he was given credit for 159 days in actual custody.

I believe this matter is now considered disposed of, and no mention is made of any other type of restitution to the family of the victim.

And according to the Orange County Register, Javier Rivera has entered a guilty plea in the hit-and-run death of Patrick Shannon — just one of the many cycling deaths in Orange County that was not caused by bad bicyclist behavior.

Rivera pled guilty to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and felony hit-and-run with injury. He now faces up to four years in prison.

Four years for inflicting a self-imposed death penalty on another human being for the crime of riding a bicycle — despite multiple previous convictions for possession, as well as fleeing from a police officer with wanton disregard for public safety.

And in another four year — or less — he’ll be free to do it again.

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Host cities are announced for the Amgen Tour of California; local stages include a Solvang time trial, Claremont to Mt. Baldy, and Santa Clarita to Thousand Oaks. Claremont celebrates their part with a kick-off event.

Not surprisingly, Italy’s top anti-doping prosecutor backtracks on his earlier statement that all cyclists are on drugs; I’m on antihistamines, does that count? Shane Perkins, the Aussie track cyclist who twice flipped off the judges following a penalty, penalizes himself by pulling out of the team sprint final.

Italy’s L’Eroica race is a throwback to the past, with wool jerseys, gravel roads and no bikes born after 1987.

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People for Bikes tops 100,000 members. Good news, but we should have that many from here in SoCal alone. If you haven’t signed up yet, it’s free, there’s no obligation, they won’t spam you and it only takes a few seconds.

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L.A.’s first CicLAvia takes place from 10 am to 3 pm on Sunday, 10/10/10 along a free seven-plus mile route through Downtown, MacArthur Park and Hollywood; walk, bike, skate, dance or just hang out. Note: Santa Monica’s ciclovia, which had been planned for the same day has been postponed for now; thanks to Eric Weinstein for the heads-up.

All signs point to a good time, with yoga and Capoeira along the way, and you might even find Ellen Page. KNBC-4 invites you to go car free, then again, it might help if you know how to get there and it couldn’t hurt to make your plans in advance. Animals are welcome; in fact, they may be blessed. And the new Fixx Carlton powder coating boutique will open Sunday at the west end of CicLAvia.

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In other events —

Bike Talk airs Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

Explore the effects of bicycles on art and culture at the Grand Opening of Re:Cycle — Bike Culture in Southern California, October 7th – 9th, at U.C. Riverside’s newly relocated Sweeney Art Gallery at the Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts, 3834 Main Street in downtown Riverside. A reception will be held from 6 – 10 pm Thursday, October 7th; the exhibition continues through December 31st.

Flying Pigeon and the Bike Oven host the free Spoke(n) Art Ride on the 2nd Saturday of every month, starting at 3714 N. Figueroa St. in Highland Park on Saturday the 9th at 6:30 pm.

Tuesday, October 12th, there will be a community meeting to discuss the soon-to-open Elysian Valley section of the L.A. River Bike Path starting 6 pm at Allesandro Elementary School, 2210 Riverside Drive; parking is available off Gleneden and Riverside Drive.

Santa Monica’s Bike It! Day has been rescheduled from last week to Wednesday the 13th due to the heavy rains; students are encouraged to bike or walk to school.

Glendale will host two public meetings on the proposed Safe & Healthy Streets Plan on Monday, October 25 at the Glendale Central Library Auditorium, and Wednesday, October 27 at the Sparr Heights Community Center; both meetings will run from 7 pm to 8:30 pm.

New Belgium Brewery’s Tour de Fat makes its first L.A. stop on Saturday, October 23rd. The following day, Sony sponsors their bikeless, but probably still fun, Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon

.………

Gary submits a questionnaire to the candidates for Santa Monica City Council, and gets a response almost immediately. LADOT Bike Blog does a great job of reporting on Tuesday’s BAC meeting. The Southern California Assoc. of Governments invites you to join in the bike planning process with their new Bike Ped Planning Page, while the South Bay Bicycle Coalition now has its own website. Another great response to KABC-7’s recent lightweight report on bikes in traffic. The once and future Car-less Valley Girl is back on her bike, and she likes it. Even cops commit hit-and-run around here. A bike cozy spotted in Santa Monica, or would you’d rather have a U-lock cozy instead?

A 22-year old San Francisco cyclist was killed Thursday evening in a rush hour collision with a Muni bus. Watch out for bicycle extremists. EcoVelo says it would be nice if drivers just treated us like other road users. Making bike path pavement from plants, not oil. Does dropping a bundle on a bike mean you’re a better rider? Uh, that would be no. A former CIA officer and his wife are riding cross country to raise money for the CIA Officers memorial Foundation. Oregon residents insist on getting their lanes back. Bike Denver plans a 1,200 space bike corral for the Denver Bronco’s first ever ride to the game on Oct. 17th; think L.A could fill even a tenth of that for our NFL team? Oh wait, we don’t have one. Yet another cross-country cyclist is killed when a truck blows a tire when trying to pass safely. Zeke deals with a rash of confrontational drivers. The department of DIY spreads to Missoula as cyclists face charges for painting their own bike lane. An Augusta cyclist is left lying in the street after an assault by the occupants of a passing car.

Biking the French Wine Road. A Winnipeg cyclist is hit by a dirt biker, who pauses to laugh at her before riding off. Montreal redesigns a popular riding route to make it less safe for cyclists. London cycle stylists help women choose the right bikes and fashions. Five years for an uninsured and unlicensed drunk driver who killed an Edinburgh cyclist in a head-on collision; at least that more than Rivera will get.

Finally, if a cardboard bike helmet can exceed design standards, is the design that good or are the standards that bad? A study at NYU Medical Center shows that 76% of bike-related ER patients weren’t even wearing that much, but the cool kids do.

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Breaking News: cross-country cyclist and blogger killed in Florida was former USC Athletic Dept staffer

October 8, 2010 / / 2 comments

Former USC staff member Roger Grooters; photo from LSU's Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes

An already heart-breaking story just hit closer to home.

Yesterday, I mentioned that a 66-year old cyclist was killed in Florida on Wednesday while on a cross-country bike ride to raise funds for Gulf oil spill victims; tragically, he had blogged about his ride just the night before he died.

Now it turns out that the victim, Roger Grooters, was the former Director of Student Athlete-Academic Services at USC before leaving to work at LSU.

I had mistakenly said he was living in Gulf Shores, Alabama at the time of his death; he was actually living in Gulf Breeze, Florida, and had visited his home and church the weekend before his death.

Funeral services will be held Monday in Gulf Breeze.

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Cyclist killed in Lake Elsinore area — 2nd SoCal bike fatality this weekend, 6th in two weeks

October 3, 2010 / / 5 comments

Enough already.

For the 2nd time in two days, a cyclist was killed on the streets of Southern California. Worse yet, it was the 2nd death in the same area in just the last 10 days.

According to the Southwest Riverside News Network, Mark Westwood, a 52-year old Wildomar resident, collided with a full-size sedan on Grand Avenue 15 feet south of Blackwell Blvd in Lake Elsinore about 7:50 pm Saturday; he was pronounced dead at Inland Valley Medical Center less than five hours later.

Police suspect the driver may have been drunk at the time of the collision; no other information is available as of 9 pm Sunday.

Westwood’s death comes less than two weeks after Lake Elsinore resident Peter Anthony Zupan was killed in Wildomar, just miles from the scene of Saturday’s wreck.

It was also just 18 hours after a 17-year old bicyclist was killed while riding on Laurel Canyon Blvd in Pacoima; the victim still has not been publicly identified. Dj Wheels reports that the driver, 26-year old Shawn Fields, was released on $100,000 bail after being arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence of alcohol; his next court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 am on October 27 in Department S of the San Fernando Courthouse.

And it marks the 6th cycling death in Southern California in the last two weeks, including the deaths of Susan Eiko Akana in Carlsbad, Eldon Johansen in Redondo Beach and an unidentified rider in Agoura Hills.

My condolences to the family, friends and love ones of all the riders.

God I hate weeks like this.

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Breaking news: Cyclists killed in Wildomar and Agoura Hills

September 23, 2010 / / One comment

This is turning out to be a very bad week for Southern California bicyclists.

In addition to news of recent deaths in Redondo Beach and Carlsbad, comes word of a confirmed cycling fatality in Wildomar, south of Lake Elsinore, as well as a report of a bicyclist killed as a result of a collision in Agoura Hills.

According to the Southwest Riverside News Service, the Wildomar incident occurred at 8:07 pm at the intersection of Mission Trail and Elberta Road.  The unidentified 53-year old cyclist was crossing Mission Trail when he apparently rode in front of a pickup traveling north on Mission Trail. Skid marks indicate the driver tried to brake and swerve to avoid the rider, but was unable to stop in time.

Details are still sketchy in the Agoura Hills collision; reportedly, a lone cyclist was critically injured at the intersection of Mulholland Hwy and Cornell Rd/Lake Vista Drive in Agoura Hills over the weekend when he allegedly ran a stop sign and collided with a car. Reports are that he died yesterday as a result of his injuries.

More information on both cases as it becomes available.

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