Tag Archive for bicycling fatality

Bike rider killed in Fullerton crash Tuesday afternoon, few details available

April 22, 2020 / / One comment

Once again, a bike rider has been killed in Southern California.

And once again, almost no information is available.

According to the Orange County Register, a person was killed when he or she was stuck by a driver in the 1900 block of Orangethorpe Ave in Fullerton just before 3 pm yesterday.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

And yes, the driver stuck around and cooperated with police.

Unfortunately, there’s no information available on the victim, or how the crash may have occurred. Or anything else that might explain what happened.

A street view shows a major six lane roadway, with a narrow painted bike lane on each side; without traffic, there’s little or nothing to slow drivers down.

Anyone with information is urged to call Fullerton Police Department Collision Investigator Chad Keen at 714/738-6812.

This is at least the 16th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in Orange County, in what is turning out to be a very bloody year in the county.

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

Thank you to the person who forwarded this to me.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

Update: Victim was actually on a motorcycle — 30-year old Brady Alexandru killed in solo Corona bike crash

April 21, 2020 / / One comment

Update: According to the Corona Police Department, the initial report was incorrect, and the victim was riding a motorcycle, not a bicycle. 

Which does not make it any less of a tragedy. 

This returns the number of SoCal bicycling fatalities to 15, and just one in Riverside County.

……….

It doesn’t always take a car to take a life.

Sometimes a simple curb is enough.

That appears to be the case in Corona, where police report a man was killed falling off his bike Sunday evening.

According to My News LA, the victim, identified as 30-year old Corona resident Brady Alexandru, somehow struck a curb near the intersection of Via Pacifica and Willowspring Lane.

He fell off his bike, striking his head, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Unfortunately, no explanation was given for what street Alexandru on or which direction he was riding, or why he may have hit the curb.

A street view shows a three-way intersection, with two through lanes and a bike lane in each direction on Via Pacifica, and an un-laned residential street on Willowspring, controlled with a stop sign.

There appears to be a hill on Via Pacifica, which could have contributed to the crash if Alexandru gained speed on the downhill before coming in contact with the curb. And there’s a speed bump on Willowspring that could have caused him to lose control if he was traveling in that direction.

It’s also possible that a driver may have played an unknown role in the crash, if Alexandru hit the curb after he was forced to avoid a vehicle.

Unfortunately, we will probably never know.

There’s also no word on whether he was wearing a helmet, which might have made a difference in this case.

Solo falls like this are exactly what bike helmets are designed for, though it’s possible the force of the impact could have still exceeded a bike helmet’s relatively low design limits, depending on how fast Alexandru was going.

Police haven’t ruled anything out, including the possibility that drugs or alcohol may have contributed to the crash in some way — which is a very odd thing to say in a solo crash like this, unless they have some reason to suspect it.

Anyone with information is urged to call Corona Police Department Officer Jason Gardner at 951/817-5784.

This is at least the 16th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Brady Alexandru and all his loved ones.

Note: Because of the late-breaking story, there will be no Morning Links today; as usual, we’ll be back with anything we missed on Wednesday. 

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

62-year old William Camp killed riding his bike in Palm Springs big rig collision

April 15, 2020 / / 2 comments

Even with far fewer drivers out there, Southern California streets are still dangerous.

Tragically, that point was driven home once again in Palm Springs yesterday.

According to the Desert Sun, 62-year old Palm Springs resident William Camp was riding his bike on Gene Autry Trail near Via Escuela, when he was struck by the driver of a big rig truck at 4:05 pm.

Camp reportedly died at the scene, within minutes of the crash.

The driver stayed after the wreck and cooperated with the police, who say he did not appear to be under the influence.

Unfortunately, there’s no word on how the crash happened.

Photos from the scene show large screens blocking the view behind the stopped truck, just feet from the intersection with Via Escuela.

That could suggest Camp was the victim of a right hook, but there are several other possible alternatives.

This is at least the 15th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for William Camp and all his loved ones.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Man killed in Huntington Beach bike collision; fourth Huntington Beach bicycling death in last four months

April 2, 2020 / / 3 comments

Once again, someone has been killed riding a bike in Huntington Beach.

And unfortunately, there’s almost no information available.

According to the Orange County Register, the crash happened near Yorktown Avenue and Vasile Circle about 8 pm Wednesday.

Police responding to the call found the victim, identified only as a man, lying unresponsive in the street; he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 46-year old driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation.

As usual, the driver was uninjured.

A street view shows Yorktown is a four lane street with a center turn lane and bike lanes on either side, with a 40 mph speed limit — low by Orange County standards.

Anyone with information is urged to call Huntington Beach Accident Investigators A. Turner, 714/536-5670 or D. Kim, 714/536-5666.

This is at least the 14th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in Orange County.

It’s also the third fatal collision involving a bike rider in Huntington Beach this year, and the fourth in less than four months.

Which means half of those deaths this year have been on the unforgiving streets of just one very deadly town.

And if that doesn’t scream there’s a major problem that needs to be addressed, I don’t know what the hell would.

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

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , ,

61-year old man killed after allegedly turning his bike in front of San Bernardino police officer

March 21, 2020 / / 24 comments

Even cops will tell you they’re often among the worst drivers on the streets.

Yet somehow, they never seem to be at fault when something goes wrong.

That was the case in San Bernardino on Thursday, when a man was killed in a collision with a police officer.

According to the San Bernardino Sun, the victim, identified only as a 61-year old San Bernardino resident, was riding west on Baseline Street east of Valencia Avenue during a rain storm when he allegedly turned left across the five lane street in front of oncoming traffic, and was struck by the patrol car.

He died at the scene.

The Herald News places the time of the crash as 4:55 pm.

The San Bernardino Police Department insists the officer was driving at normal speed, even though he or she was responding to a call at the time of the crash; no mention of whether the emergency lights and siren were being used.

And despite what the Sun’s headline suggests, the victim did not crash into the officer’s car. It hit him.

It’s entirely possible that the crash occurred exactly as the police described it. The rain could have obscured the victim’s vision, and he might have turned in front of the car as a result.

Or it’s possible that the rain obscured the officer’s view, and he or she didn’t see the victim making his turn until it was too late.

It also seems unlikely that the cop was just puttering along at normal speed while responding to a call, though again, it’s possible.

Unless there were independent witnesses to the crash, we’ll only have the officer’s perspective to go on, because the victim can’t tell his side of the story.

Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Dan Acosta or Sgt. Jeff Harvey at 909/384-5792.

This is at least the 13th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second 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: , , ,

Update: Bike rider killed in Newport Beach crash; police won’t release details

March 15, 2020 / / 14 comments

A person was killed riding a bicycle in Newport Beach late Saturday night.

And for some reason, the Newport Beach Police Department refuses to release any details.

OnScene.TV is reporting that police received a call about a traffic collision at San Joaquin Hills Road and Newport Ridge Drive West at the entrance to the gated Newport Ridge community around 11:21 pm Saturday.

Raw video from the scene shows a very badly mangled bicycle, several hundred feet from what appears to be a man’s shoe. Assuming that it belonged to the victim, which is not clear from the video, it implies he or she was struck at an extremely high rate of speed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWhy_UQee9g

The video also shows two vehicles inside the police tape, an older Honda Insight with visible damage and a Toyota SUV. That could suggest that the person on the bicycle was collateral damage in a crash between the two drivers, or that one of the drivers hit the victim while street racing.

A street view shows a gently curving four lane road on San Joaquin Road with a bike lane in each direction, and a 55 mph speed limit — a deadly configuration far too common in Orange County.

But again, we have too little information right now to know what really happened.

Hopefully we’ll learn more in the morning.

This is at least the 12th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in Orange County since the start of the year.

Update: Unfortunately, there’s still no official confirmation of the crash, or any information about the victim. 

However, the Orange County coroner posted this announcement, which lines up with the city and time of the crash. 

But again no guarantee she was the victim of this crash.

Update 2: A Newport Beach website has confirmed that Aubrye Foote was killed in the collision. Her Facebook page identifies her as a loving mother and the owner of a local business. 

However, unconfirmed reports suggest that Foote may have been driving a vehicle, and was killed when she got out of her car after a teenage boy was struck while riding his bike. 

I’m also told the unidentified victim on the bike was killed, as well. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Audrey Foote and the other victim, as well as their loved ones.

Thanks to Bill Sellin for his work on this story.

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

62-year old man killed riding a bike on PCH in Huntington Beach Friday night

March 8, 2020 / / 9 comments

As if the news hasn’t been bad enough this weekend, yet another person was killed riding a bicycle, this time in Huntington Beach Friday night.

According to the Daily Pilot, the victim, identified only as a 62-year old homeless man, was struck by a 72-year old driver on deadly PCH near Seapoint Street around 10:20 pm.

The Orange County Register reports he was riding south on PCH when he swerved across the five lane highway, and was hit by the northbound driver.

He died at the scene as a result of serious head injuries.

And no, he wasn’t wearing a helmet. Although we have no way of knowing if his injuries would have been survivable with one.

Or whether it could have made any difference on a road where the 55 mph speed limit is little more than a suggestion, and virtually any crash is a death sentence to anyone not surrounded by a couple tons of glass and steel.

We also don’t know if the victim was without a helmet by choice, or because he didn’t have access to one.

The driver remained at the scene, and police don’t suspect intoxication played a factor.

Anyone with information is urged to call Huntington Beach Police Department traffic investigator Adam Turner at 714/536-5670.

Sadly, too many people will write the victim off as just another homeless person, as if that makes his death any less tragic. Or any less of a loss to his family and friends.

People forced to live on the streets have little enough value in our society when they’re alive. They shouldn’t be forgotten in death, as well.

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

It’s also the fourth bicycling death we’ve learned about in the last two days.

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

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , ,

Update: 21-year old Escondido bike rider killed in crash after allegedly running a stop sign

March 7, 2020 / / 2 comments

An Escondido man has paid the ultimate price for allegedly failing to observe a stop sign.

According to a notice from the Escondido police department, the crash occurred at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Cedar Street around 8:04 Friday morning.

The victim, identified only as a 21-year old Escondido resident, was riding north on Cedar Street when he reportedly rode through the stop sign, and into the path of a minivan driver headed east on Grand.

He died there in the roadway, despite efforts to revive him.

The driver remained at the scene, and did not appear to be under the influence.

As always, though, the question is whether any independent witnesses actually saw him blow the stop, and whether it might have been possible for the driver to avoid him.

Anyone with information is urged to call Officer Mike Nelson of the Escondido Police Department’s Traffic Division at 760/839-4407.

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

That compares with just five deaths in the county for the entire year in 2019.

Update: The victim has been identified as 21-year old Escondido resident Joseph Palacios.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Joseph Palacios and all his loved ones.

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

Man killed riding bike on deadly Alicia Parkway in Laguna Niguel

March 6, 2020 / / 7 comments

Sometimes, bad news never makes the news.

Like the death of a bike rider in Laguna Niguel on Thursday.

Thursday evening, OC bike lawyer Edward Rubinstein forwarded a post from Nextdoor, which said Alicia Parkway was closed after a bike rider had been struck by a driver.

That was followed by an unconfirmed response stating the victim didn’t make it.

Sadly, that was followed by the tweet below, confirming a man in his late 60s was killed.

The tweet places the site of the crash at Alicia Parkway and Awma Road, at the entrance to Alisa Woods Canyon Park.

A response from Jim Martin suggests the crash may have been in the northbound lane.

Looks like Northbound, Lane 3/Left turn pocket. Lots of bikes cross there. No light, though a ped crossing light ~100 yards South that cars often blow at 60+ mph.

Unfortunately, no time is given. However, the email from Rubinstein came around 8 pm Thursday night, while the first Nextdoor post came nine hours earlier, placing the crash sometime before 11 am Thursday.

There’s no description of how the collision occurred.

A street view shows a six lane speedway, with just a stop sign on Awma. According to Rubinstein, the painted bike lane on Alicia was removed in a recent repaving and hasn’t been restriped yet, leaving riders at the mercy of drivers who frequently exceed the 50 mph speed limit.

The placement of the victim’s bike next to the center divider suggests he may have been trying cross the roadway and didn’t make it. But it’s also possible it was knocked there by the force of the impact.

Meanwhile, the SUV next to the bike doesn’t show any visible signs of an impact, high speed or otherwise.

Hopefully, we’ll get more information soon.

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

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

Thanks to Edward Rubinstein, David Becker and Jim Martin for the heads-up.

 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Bike rider killed in Laguna Niguel, more coronavirus cancellations, and LA Marathon Crash Ride rolls Sunday

March 6, 2020 / / One comment

Before we get started, it looks like the foster corgi we’ve been looking after will get his well-deserved 15 minutes of fame in tomorrow’s LA Times. 

He and his owner will be featured in the City Beat column written Nita Lelyveld, with my wife and me in a supporting role. 

There probably won’t be any bikes involved this time, even though the foster corgi’s owner is one of us, too. 

It’s a beautiful story.

And if I know Nita, she’ll tell it beautifully. 

………

OC bike lawyer Edward Rubinstein has forwarded a Nextdoor post saying a bike rider was seriously injured in a collision on Alicia Parkway in Laguna Niguel on Thursday, along with an unconfirmed report that the victim didn’t make it.

Rubinstein relates the crash appears to have occurred in the southbound lane of Alicia Parkway between Aliso Creek and Highlands Ave.

There normally is a painted bike lane on Alicia, but it was removed in a recent repaving and hasn’t been restriped yet, leaving riders at the mercy of drivers who frequently exceed the 50 mph speed limit.

Update: Sadly, we have confirmation a man in his 60s was killed.

Hopefully, we’ll get more details today. I’ll get a story online later in the day.

Thanks to Edward Rubinstein and David Becker for the heads-up.

………

More fallout from the COVID-19 coronavirus, as the annual Sea Otter Classic pulls the plug on this spring’s event, with hopes of rescheduling later in the year when the virus will hopefully be less active.

And Italy’s Strade Bianche and Strade Bianche Women Elite races were cancelled as cycling teams continued to withdraw from tomorrow’s races due to fears of the coronavirus.

………

The LA Marathon takes place on Sunday.

Which means the annual semi-official Marathon Crash Ride will as well, with a 3 am meet time at the former Tang’s Donuts on Sunset, and 4 am start.

But as canadianangeleno points out, this year 3 am comes a little earlier due to the time change.

https://twitter.com/iliveinpalms/status/1235707611284029442

Meanwhile, Redditors offer a number of tips and feeder rides.

Thanks to everyone who helped confirm this year’s ride. There are far too many to thank here individually, but I really do appreciate the help from all.

………

CicLAvia has posted photos from their recent South LA open streets event.

Meanwhile, the Militant Angeleno provides the CicLAvia schedule for the rest of the year, including a return to South LA before the year is over.

………

Having failing to learn their lesson from the highly criticized Peloton Wife ad this past Christmas, Peloton now thinks you should give one to your mom for Mother’s Day.

No, really.

………

Congratulations to BikinginLA sponsor, bike lawyer and all-around nice guy Josh Cohen on joining the board of the LACBC.

………

Local

Santa Monica-based Bird is officially unveiling their new fat-tired Scoot e-mopeds, offering a seated ride with top speeds of 20 mph.

 

State

Newport Beach-based Electric Bike Company proves that you can build a quality ebike in the US.

Great idea. The San Diego Bicycle Coalition is hosting a monthly series of public bike rides celebrating new bus and bike lanes on El Cajon Blvd, featuring “weird and wonderful” entertainers along the way.

Pismo Beach’s formerly “swervey curvey” road is now straighter but “lumpy bumpy.”

 

National

Streetsblog looks at how the media helped build, and continues to reinforce, America’s car culture.

The foldable, carbon frame Companion Bike allows anyone to take a handicapped friend or family member out for a bike ride.

A writer for Grist says yes, ebikes really are good for the environment.

A Denver writer questions why it takes so long for bike lanes to get approval in the city. If he thinks that’s bad, he should try living in Los Angeles, where we’re still waiting for the 1977 bike plan, let alone the 2010 plan.

Speaking of Denver bike lanes, a new survey shows 80% of Denver residents support bike lanes, even at the expense of parking or travel lanes. It’s long past time someone did a survey of Los Angeles voters, which might surprise some of LA’s less than bike-friendly councilmembers.

Unbelievable. A Michigan appellate court rules a bike rider was at fault for a crash after he got high the night before and might have been looking at his speedometer, even though he was left-crossed while he had the right-of-way by a driver who wasn’t looking. And the driver allegedly admitted fault.

A stoned Connecticut driver got a well-deserved four years behind bars for a head-on wrong way crash that killed a bike rider, after using heroin prior to driving.

New York police are still looking for a gang of violent bike thieves targeting ebike riders on the Queensboro Bridge.

 

International

C/net loves GM’s new ebike foldie, which is designed to solve the first mile/last mile problem. And says it’s a shame it’s only available in three European countries right now.

Heartbreaking story from Ireland, where a man lived with locked-in syndrome for 16 years after falling off the handlebars of a friend’s bicycle, fully alert, yet trapped in his own body and unable to move.

PeopleForBikes considers how Paris raised bicycling rates 54% in just one year.

Speaking of Paris, the former French Health Minister and wannabe mayor insists that riding a bike isn’t good for you, and that plans for more bike lanes in the City of Lights were “violent.” No, really.

A 49-year old Indian soldier rode his bike nearly 2,200 miles from Tripura to Delhi in just 20 days to demonstrate the importance of fitness.

British bike scribe Carlton Reid previews a four-hour guided ebike tour of the religion, politics and Banksys of modern Bethlehem.

A writer for New York Magazine hops on her bike and rides deep into Sichuan province to escape the coronavirus and surveillance state in Chengdu, China.

That was fast. It took less than 24 hours for someone to toss Melbourne, Australia’s first Jump dockless bike into a pond.

This is who we share the roads with. A Chilean worker faces charges after somehow running down one of the famed Easter Island statues, or moai, with his pickup, causing incalculable physical, archeological and cultural damage.

 

Competitive Cycling

Sad news from Colorado, where German pro mountain biker Benjamin Sonntag was killed when he was struck by the driver of a pickup Wednesday afternoon.

A writer for Singletracks recounts the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo mountain bike endurance race through Sonoran Desert north of Tucson.

Bicycling sings the praises of the European Spring Classics, which may or may not even happen this year.

 

Finally

You may want to wipe down that bikeshare seat first. When you care enough to get the most expensive bike accessories, if not the very best.

And when you’re riding bikes with an outstanding warrant, don’t run the stop sign — and don’t toss your drugs when there’s a helicopter overhead.

………

Thanks to Margaret W for her annual donation to support this site, and keep bringing you SoCal’s best bike news every morning. 

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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