Tag Archive for bicycling fatality

Update: One person killed and 2nd injured when two bike riders collided on San Diego’s Lake Murray Bike Path Friday morning

September 19, 2025 / / 3 comments

Sometimes the danger doesn’t come from drivers.

Or even on the roadway.

That was the case in San Diego Friday, when one person was killed and another injured riding on the bike path at the city’s Lake Murray around 7:25 am.

According to multiple sources, the two bicyclists collided head-on while reportedly exceeding the posted 10 mph speed limit.

One victim died at the scene, while the other was hospitalized.

There’s no word on exactly where on the trail around Lake Murray that the crash occurred, but people who know the trail say there are a number of blind curves where you wouldn’t see someone coming from the opposite direction.

There’s also no information yet on the identity of either victim, or the condition of the survivor.

This is at least the 42nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the ninth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.

Update: The victim has been identified as 68-year old El Cajon resident David Engler.

Authorities say he was not wearing a helmet, but while the medical examiner’s report says he died of blunt force trauma, it does not indicate whether he suffered a head injury. 

The other victim was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for David Engler and his loved one.

And best wishes for a full and fast recovery for the surviving victim. 

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

Someone riding bicycle killed by alleged DUI hit-and-run driver in Carlsbad crash early Saturday morning

September 13, 2025 / / One comment

Someone riding a bicycle was killed in a pre-dawn crash in Carlsbad Saturday.

And while we don’t know anything about the victim, we do have an ID on the alleged drunken coward accused of killing them.

According to multiple reports, the victim was struck by the driver while riding on the 4400 block Carlsbad Blvd, between Tamarack Ave and Cannon Road, around 4:34 am Saturday.

The victim was already dead when police arrived; there’s no word at this time on how the crash occurred.

The driver, identified as 27-year old Escondido resident Alexander Gendron, was tracked down about a mile away, with police relying on witnesses, license plate readers and a drone to find him.

He was booked on suspicion of leaving the scene of a collision resulting in injury or death, DUI causing injury or death, and vehicular manslaughter. That could be upgraded to murder if there is a previous DUI on his record.

There is a painted bike lane on both sides of Carlsbad Blvd, which runs north and south along the beach.

Given the hour, the victim could have been homeless, or someone riding to or from work. Or it could have been someone just out for an early morning ride.

Anyone with information is urged to call Traffic Accident Investigator Cpl. Matt Bowen of the Carlsbad Police Department at 442/339-2282.

This is at least the 41st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.

This was also the 13th bike rider killed by a hit-and-run driver in Southern California since the first of the year

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all their loved ones.

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

67-year old woman riding ped-assist ebike killed by pickup driver in Desert Hot Springs collision Sunday morning

September 8, 2025 / / Comments Off on 67-year old woman riding ped-assist ebike killed by pickup driver in Desert Hot Springs collision Sunday morning

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

After horrible month of August, we managed to go a little more than a week without news of yet another person killed riding a bicycle on the mean streets of Southern California.

That ended yesterday, when a 67-year old woman was killed by the driver of a Ford F150 pickup in Desert Hot Springs.

According to the Desert Sun, the victim was riding a ped-assist ebike east on Pierson Blvd when she was run down from behind about half a mile west of North Indian Canyon Drive, shortly after 7 am.

The woman, identified Monday as Desert Hot Springs resident Laura Harker, was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs suffering from multiple traumatic injuries. She died about half an hour after she was struck.

The driver of the pickup remained at the scene. CHP investigators said it was unclear why the driver didn’t see Harker; however, the occurred about half an hour after sunrise, so the sun would have still been low on the horizon.

Although that doesn’t mean they weren’t distracted, or that there wasn’t some other reason why they didn’t see her.

It’s also unknown how fast the driver was traveling on the perfectly straight rural road, which likely would have had little or no traffic at that hour.

The crash remains under investigation.

This is at least the 40th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Laura Harker and all her loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

64-year old man killed in Placentia collision Friday evening, as SoCal’s awful August just keeps getting worse.

August 30, 2025 / / One comment

This awful August just keeps getting worse.

My News LA is reporting that a man was killed riding a bicycle in Placentia yesterday evening — the 10th fatal Southern California bicycling crash we’ve learned about this month.

According to the site, the victim was riding on the 200 block of East Orangethorpe Ave around 5 pm Friday when he was struck by a driver.

The victim, identified only as a 64-year old man, was taken to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries.

There’s no word at this time on how the crash occurred, or who may have been at fault. But at least the driver remained at the scene.

A street view appears to show bike lanes on Orangethorpe, along with two traffic lines in each direction and a center left turn lane.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Traffic Bureau of Placentia Police Department at 714/993-8157.

This is at least the 39th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in Orange County.

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

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

39-year old man killed riding bicycle in Santa Ana Wednesday night; driver arrested for DUI

August 28, 2025 / / 4 comments

Please, not another one.

For the ninth time this month, we’ve learned about yet another person killed riding a bicycle in Southern California.

According to a press release from the Santa Ana Police Department, a man was killed by an alleged drunk driver while riding in the city Wednesday night.

The victim, identified as 39-year old Wilmington resident Andrew Rodriguez, was crossing Grand Ave at Fairhaven Ave when he was struck by a southbound driver around 11:35 pm.

Rodriguez died at the scene, despite the efforts of officers and paramedics. The driver, 26-year old Santa Ana resident Vanessa Anahi Picenavalos, was arrested for DUI.

The intersection is controlled by a traffic signal; there’s no word on who may have had the right-of-way. There’s no bicycle infrastructure in any direction

Anyone with information is urged to call Santa Ana Police Detective K. Briley at 714/245-8215, or the Traffic Division of the Santa Ana Police Department at 714/245-8200.

This is at least the 38th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in Orange County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Andrew Rodriguez and his loved ones.

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

Man riding bicycle killed by driver in Twentynine Palms Monday afternoon, 8th SoCal bicycling death reported this month

August 26, 2025 / / Comments Off on Man riding bicycle killed by driver in Twentynine Palms Monday afternoon, 8th SoCal bicycling death reported this month

A bad month for Southern California bike riders just keeps getting worse.

For the eighth time this month, we’ve learned that someone was killed riding a bicycle, this time in Twentynine Palms.

According to a press release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department reposted by a local radio station, the victim was struck by a driver while riding on the 5100 block of Adobe Road in Twentynine Palms around 12:51 pm on Monday.

Investigators report the victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding north on Adobe while weaving in and out of the northbound lanes. He was struck by the driver, presumably head-on, after swerving onto the southbound side of the road.

He died at the scene, despite the effort of bystanders and first responders to perform CPR.

The driver remained on scene and cooperated with investigators, and is not believed to have been under the influence.

Adobe is a four lane mostly rural roadway with a center turn lane; there are a handful on businesses on the west side of the road the victim may have been attempting to get to when he was killed.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station at 760/366-4175, or anonymously at 1-800/782-7463 or at wetip.com.

This is at least the 37th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.

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

 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , ,

Bicyclist dies two days after rural Hemet collision; 10th SoCal bike rider killed in past 30 days

August 12, 2025 / / Comments Off on Bicyclist dies two days after rural Hemet collision; 10th SoCal bike rider killed in past 30 days

Things clearly aren’t getting any better out there.

For the 10th time in the past 30 days, someone riding a bicycle in Southern California has been killed by a driver, this time in Hemet.

According to the Hemet Police Department, the victim died two days after suffering what initially appeared to be moderate injuries in a collision Friday evening.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding east on Hemet’s Lincoln Avenue when he was struck by a motorist traveling north on Soboba Street around 6:08 pm.

The victim was taken to a local hospital, where they died on Sunday.

The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police don’t suspect they were under the influence.

The crash occurred at a rural intersection controlled with four-way stop signs, with no form of bicycle infrastructure in any direction.

Anyone with information is urged to call Hemet Police Corporal Christian Coley at 951/765-2400, reference file #2025-05320.

This is at least the 34th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

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

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , ,

Man walking bicycle killed crossing Long Beach street Wednesday evening; 8th SoCal bike rider killed in last 16 days

August 8, 2025 / / Comments Off on Man walking bicycle killed crossing Long Beach street Wednesday evening; 8th SoCal bike rider killed in last 16 days

I just can’t.

For the eighth time in the last 16 days, someone riding a bicycle has been killed in Southern California, an average of one every other day.

Or in this case, just walking a bicycle across a Long Beach street.

Multiple sources are reporting that a man was walking east across Pacific Place near Wardlow Road with his bike, when he was struck by a northbound driver around 6:07 pm Wednesday.

He was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.

The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police don’t believe speed, impaired driving or distracted driving contributed to the crash.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was reportedly walking outside of a crosswalk at the time of the crash. That’s legal under California law as long as it’s safe to cross; it could have looked that way to the victim before he started across the four lane street.

There’s also no word on which side of Wardlow he was on, or where he was in relation to the intersection. However, there is an A Line train station and bus stops north of Wardlow; it’s possible he was walking his bike to the station when he was struck.

Unfortunately, with the limited information we have at this time, there’s no way to know what really happened, or why. Hopefully, we’ll learn more soon.

The Long Beach Post reports that Pacific is one of the city’s most dangerous streets.

Pacific Avenue, which becomes Pacific Place at Wardlow, has been among the city’s deadliest streets in recent years, recording nine deaths in vehicular collisions since 2020, most of them being pedestrians.

City officials are redesigning the street to slow traffic and enlarge spaces for bikers and walkers.

Maybe they should hurry.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is urged to call Detective Efrain Pineda of the Long Beach Police Department’s Collision Investigation Detail at 562/570-7355.

This is at least the 33rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 12th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

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

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Update: 20-year old surfer Kolby Aipa dies three days after Huntington Beach ebike crash; grandson of legendary “surf royalty”

August 6, 2025 / / 6 comments

As if the news hasn’t been bad enough lately, now we’re learning that the grandson of a surf legend has died following an ebike crash.

According to the Daily Pilot, the victim, identified as 20-year old Huntington Beach resident Kolby Aipa, died three days after he was struck by a car that had been towing him on PCH.

The crash occurred around 10:08 p.m. Saturday night, near Seapoint Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach.

Aipa was taken to UCI Medical Center suffering from critical injuries, where he was placed on life support. His family’s business posted online that he died Tuesday afternoon.

Surfer writes that Aipa was heir to “surf royalty,” the grandson of legendary surfer, board shaper and surfing coach Ben Aipa, a member of both the Surfing Walk of Fame and Surfers’ Hall of Fame. He was the inventor of the groundbreaking Sting surfboard design.

According to the magazine,

Following in his strong surfing lineage, Kolby was an up-and-coming surfer himself. He was sponsored by the clothing brand AVVA, Dakine, Cobian footwear, and others. He was a member of the Huntington Beach Board Riders club…

A memorial paddle-out for Kolby is being planned; stay tuned for more information.

There’s no word on why Aipa was being towed by a car, which was driven by people he knew. However, it’s possible that his ebike battery had died, and he was being towed rather than pedaling a heavy bike.

Or it could have just been an ill-advised stunt.

According to a crowdfunding campaign in his honor,

Kolby always had a way with touching the lives of whoever he met. His acts of kindness and caring was his gift of Aloha to friends and strangers alike. To everyone that reads this…pass his Aloha on. So, how Kolby treated you, treat others in that same way…

In this you are continuing his legacy of Aloha.

As of this writing, the campaign has raised nearly $69,000 of the $75,000 goal.

This is at least the 31st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the just the third that I’m aware of in Orange County.

Update: According to My News LA, Aipa was holding onto a Toyota Tacoma pickup being driven south on PCH — a practice known as skitching — when the driver somehow lost control of the truck, leading to their collision.

There should be no need to point out how dangerous that can be. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Kolby Aipa and his loved ones.

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

Oxnard man dies two weeks after apparent right hook while riding his bike last month

August 1, 2025 / / One comment

Enough, already.

A bad month for bike riders in Southern California got worse today, when word broke that an Oxnard man died two weeks after he was struck by a driver while riding his bicycle last month.

According to the TriCity Sentry, the victim was run down by a woman while riding north on Ventura Road near Devonshire Drive on Friday, July 11th, around 9:22 pm.

First responders found him lying in the entryway to the Grocery Outlet Store, following the apparent right hook collision as the woman turned into the parking lot from northbound Ventura.

The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office reported around 2:30 pm last Friday that the man, identified as Oxnard resident Salvador Lopez, had died from his injuries.

The driver, Hannah De La Cruz, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. They don’t believe she was speeding or under the influence.

Anyone with information is urged to call Oxnard Police Corporal Manny Perez at 805/385-7749 or 805/200-5668, or email manuel.perez@oxnardpd.org.

This is at least the 29th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second that I’m aware of in Ventura County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Salvador Lopez and his loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,
« Older Entries   Recent Entries »
Wordpress Theme by ThemeZee