Tag Archive for bicycling fatality

Missing mountain biker Brian Grangaard found dead nearly three weeks after crashing on Hemet area trail

June 13, 2020 / / 4 comments

More sad news from Riverside County, where a mountain biker has been found dead nearly three weeks after he disappeared while riding near Hemet.

According to My News LA, 45-year old Hemet resident Brian Darrell Grangaard was reported missing after he failed to return from riding in Santa Rosa Hills on May 25th.

His body was found late Thursday afternoon, hidden by heavy brush at the bottom of an embankment off Vista Del Valle near Rawlings Road.

Grangaard had apparently lost control while descending steep the curvy road, and ridden off the roadway at a high rate of speed.

He is believed to have died the same day.

There are now helmets, smart watches, and other devices that can report your exact location in the event of a fall or collision. While something like that could have aided in the search, there’s no way to know at this time if rescuers could have gotten to Grangaard before he succumbed to his injuries.

A crowdfunding page to help pay for the search raised $2,000, equalling the goal.

The investigation remains open, and anyone with information is urged to call the CHP’s San Gorgonio Office at 951/769-2000.

This is at least the 26th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Brian Darrell Grangaard and all his loved ones. 

Thanks to Phillip Young for the heads-up.

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

Update: 21-year old Corona resident killed by hit-and-run driver late Thursday night

June 13, 2020 / / One comment

Once again, someone on a bicycle has been left to die in the street by a heartless coward.

This time in Corona.

According to a press release from the Corona Police Department, 21-year old Corona resident Benjamin Montalvo was riding south on the 1600 block of Rimpau Avenue with two friends when he was run down from behind by an unidentified driver just before midnight Thursday.

Montalvo died at the scene, while his killer fled without stopping; the suspect vehicle was described only as a dark-colored sedan.

Authorities place the time of the crash around 11:54 pm.

Unfortunately, there’s no other information available at this time.

A street view shows a four lane road with a center turn lane in a business district, transitioning to a residential area a few blocks later. It would likely have been quiet and dark at that hour.

Anyone with information is urged to call Corona Police Officer David Dopson at 951/817-5845, or email David.Dopson@CoronaCA.gov.

This is at least the 25th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

Update: A 22-year old Riverside woman has been arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run after turning herself in Friday night; other charges may be considered. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Benjamin Montalvo and all his family and friends. 

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

61-year old bike rider killed in early Monday Rancho Cucamonga crash; few details available

June 9, 2020 / / One comment

Once again, a bike rider has been killed in San Bernardino County.

And once again, there’s almost no information available.

According to the Fontana Herald News, Eric John Konz was struck by a driver while riding near the intersection of Etiwanda Ave and Whittram Ave at 2:25 Monday morning.

A 61-year old Rancho Cucamonga resident, Konz was pronounced dead at the scene just over 20 minutes later.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know right now.

No word on how the crash occurred, or whether the driver stuck around after the crash.

Or even if Konz had lights on his bike at that early morning hour.

This is at least the 24th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Eric John Konz and all his loved ones.

 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Bike rider killed in Coachella collision; third SoCal bicycling death in two days

May 27, 2020 / / 3 comments

Yet another person has been killed riding a bicycle in Southern California.

According to KSEQ-3, a bike rider was struck by a driver on Tyler Street near Avenue 54 in Coachella around 9:18 pm yesterday, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police report the driver stopped, and cooperated with investigators.

Unfortunately, no other information is available at this time, including the identity — or even the sex — of the victim.

But that’s more information than the Desert Sun reported, which apparently thought the crash involved a zombie car, since they didn’t even mention the driver.

A street view shows a dusty desert intersection, with a pair of two lane roads controlled by a four way stop.

This is how Victor Bale describes it.

This is an area I also ride often. It’s mostly an agricultural area with many date trees. There are no bike lanes, but with a low level of traffic, it’s relatively safe as drivers usually just move over into the oncoming traffic lanes. I must mention that there are no street lights in that entire area and at night it’s not a place to ride. My guess is this person was perhaps homeless or poor, and a bike was the only form of transportation available to him or her.

This is at least the 23rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

It’s also the third person killed riding a bike in Southern California in the past two days, following deaths in Irvine and San Diego on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

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

Thanks to Victor Bale for the heads-up.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , ,

Update: San Diego bike rider killed in hit-and-run; driver moved the victim before fleeing

May 27, 2020 / / 4 comments

SoCal streets are getting more dangerous as our cities reopen from their Covid-19 slumber.

The latest example comes from San Diego, where a man was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bike in the city’s Rolando neighborhood Tuesday evening.

According to the Union-Tribune, the victim was riding west on the sidewalk near the Salvation Army Kroc Center on University Ave around 7:05 Tuesday evening, when he allegedly turned in front a westbound driver at University and Alamo Drive.

The driver then got out of his car and moved the victim back into the street, before fleeing the scene. Although why he moved him, and from where, is unclear.

It’s also not clear why the victim would have turned in front of the driver’s car when Alamo exits to the right off westbound University, rather than the left.

The victim died after being taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest; he’s described only as a man who appears to be in his late 40s.

Police eventually found the suspect’s car abandoned a little over a mile away, at El Cajon Boulevard and 68th Street.

Hopefully we’ll learn more soon to help clear up the apparent discrepancies.

This is at least the 22nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.

Update: Police arrested a 30-year old man later the same night, alleging he was under the influence of a controlled substance at the time of the crash. 

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

Thanks to Phillip Young for the heads-up. 

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

70-year old woman killed in Irvine crash; 7th Orange County bike death this year

May 25, 2020 / / 15 comments

Orange County, we have a problem.

Just five months into the year, the county has already seen seven people killed riding their bikes.

The latest came this morning, when a 70-year old woman lost her life at the hands of motorist, who was barely mentioned in news reports.

According to the Orange County Register, the victim, who has not been publicly identified, was struck somewhere near the near the intersection of Portola Parkway and the 261 toll road around 9:59 am.

She was pronounced dead on at the scene.

There’s no word on how the crash occurred, or whether it happened on Portola or the 261.

The driver remained at the scene; police don’t suspect he or she was under the influence.

Victor Bale forwards word that the intersection is near the entrance to the Peters Canyon Trail.

According to Bale,

It’s a pleasant and popular trail in Orange County that can be used to head to Laguna Beach and Dana Point or further south to San Clemente or Oceanside. It also is used to lead to trails that go to Newport Beach’s back bay.

He added,

I’ve been at that intersection probably hundreds of times, typically riding on Portola over the 261 to reach the trail on the other side.

Unfortunately the story doesn’t tell us if she was exiting the trail onto Portola (can be sketchy and you need to be very careful) or if she was trying to reach the trail via Portola as I usually do.

Hopefully we’ll learn more after the holiday.

Anyone with information is urged to call Motor Officer Mike Bergstrom at 949/724-7212, ext. 2046.

This is at least the 21st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in Orange County.

Update: The victim has been identified as 70-year old Irvine resident Linda Smythe. 

Still no word on how the crash occurred; however, Orange County bike advocate Bill Sellin reports she was thrown 105 feet by the force of the impact, which suggests she was struck at a high rate of speed. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Linda Smythe and her loved ones.

Thanks to Victor Bale and Bill Sellin for the information. 

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

52-year old man killed by alleged drunk driver in San Diego’s Alta Vista neighborhood

May 15, 2020 / / One comment

Note: No Morning Links today, following an extended internet outage last night.

As usual, we’ll be back next week to catch up on anything we missed. 

………

Once again, a SoCal bike rider has lost his life, despite the lighter traffic caused by the coronavirus crisis.

But sadly, light traffic does nothing to stop an intoxicated driver.

According to multiple sources, the victim was riding on west on Paradise Valley Road west of Munda Road in San Diego’s Alta Vista neighborhood, when he was rear-ended by an alleged drunk driver shortly before 9:15 Wednesday night.

The victim, identified only as a 52-year old man, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Twenty-eight-year old driver James L. Bumpus was arrested at the scene on suspicion of felony DUI.

There’s no word on whether the victim had lights to reflectors on his bike, or if there was anything other than Bumpus’ alleged drunken state that would have kept him from avoiding the victim’s bike.

A street view shows a four lane boulevard with no shoulder, where drivers could easily exceed the 40 mph speed limit.

This is at least the 20th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.

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

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

Alleged drunk, speeding driver kills unidentified Redlands bike rider

May 9, 2020 / / 4 comments

Even in the midst of a pandemic, people continue to die on our streets, simply because they’re riding a bicycle.

The latest victim is a man in Redlands, who lost his life at the hands of an accused drunk and speeding driver.

According to the Redlands Daily Facts, the victim was riding his bike at Tennessee Street and San Bernardino Ave around 8 pm Thursday when he was run down by 34-year old Mentone resident Ricardo Angel Aguilar.

The victim was transported to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, despite the efforts of an off-duty nurse who treated him at the scene.

At last report, investigators were still trying to identify him. However, they suspect he may have been a transient.

There’s no word on how the crash actually occurred, or if the victim had lights on his bike in the deepening darkness.

San Bernardino is a four lane roadway that narrows to two lanes with a 45 mph speed limit at Tennessee, while Tennessee is a two lane road with no posted speed limit; both have narrow painted shoulders.

Aguilar is being held on a quarter-million dollars bail on charges of suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence.

This is at least the 19th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.

It’s also the third fatal bike crash in Redlands in little more than a year.

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

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Man killed crossing PCH on bike in Wilmington crash Tuesday morning

May 6, 2020 / / One comment

Deadly PCH has claimed yet another victim.

According to the Daily Breeze, a man was crossing PCH in Wilmington around 5:25 Tuesday morning when he was struck by a pair of drivers.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding on Eubank Avenue at PCH when he was hit by one driver, then hit again by a second driver and knocked off his bike.

Both drivers remained at the scene.

Police report that he was apparently crossing against the light. However, there’s no word on whether there were any independent witnesses who weren’t involved in the crash at that early hour.

It’s also possible that the light may have changed as the victim was crossing the massive seven lane highway, bordered by a two lane service road.

This is at least the 18th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County; it’s also just the second in the City of Los Angeles since the first of the year.

Update: My News LA reports the victim was crossing PCH headed north on Eubank Ave when he was struck by an eastbound driver, then hit again by someone traveling west on PC.

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

Thanks to Mike Bike for the heads-up.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Update: 49-year old bike rider killed in early morning Oxnard crash

April 26, 2020 / / 3 comments

An Oxnard man was killed while riding his bike in a crash early Sunday morning.

And no one seems to know what happened.

According to multiple sources, the victim, identified only as a 49-year old Oxnard resident, was struck by a driver around 4:30 this morning on the 2400 block of Statham Blvd in Oxnard.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver, identified as a 43-year old man from Oxnard, was traveling north on Statham. However, police aren’t sure which direction the victim was riding.

Let alone how or why the driver struck him.

There’s no word on whether excess speed, drugs or alcohol played a role. Or whether the victim had lights and reflectors on his bike nearly two hours before sunrise.

A street view shows an unobstructed two lane road, with a 35 mph speed limit. The Ventura County Star describes it as an industrial area between Oxnard and Channel Islands Boulevards, which would likely have been dark and empty in that early morning hour.

Anyone with information is urged to call Oxnard PD Officer Michael Wood at 805/385-7750 or email micheal.wood@oxnardpd.org.

This is at least the 17th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first that I’m aware of in Ventura County.

Update: The victim has been identified as 49-year old Michael Nunziato, an Illinois resident living in Oxnard. 

Unfortunately, there’s still no explanation of how the crash occurred, or why. 

Police are looking for the driver of a second vehicle that was in the area around the time of the crash, and ask him or her to come forward with any information.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Michael Nunziato and all his loved ones.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,
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