Tag Archive for bicycling fatality

Bike rider killed in collision with Expo Line train in South LA; another critically injured

February 7, 2018 / / 2 comments

Sad news from South LA, where a bike rider has died following a collision with the Expo Line.

KTLA-5 initially reported last night that two pedestrians were struck by a train in University Park east of USC, around 9 pm Tuesday. The story was later amended to say one of the victims had a bicycle.

Now LA West Media has reported that one victim has died after being transported to a hospital, while the other victim is in critical condition.

Neither has been publicly identified at this time.

According to the report, three males were riding their bikes on Jefferson Blvd near Flower Street, when they attempted to cross the Expo Line tracks despite an approaching train.

The first rider made it. The other two were hit by the empty Expo train, which was on a test run.

This is one more heartbreaking reminder to never attempt to cross train tracks after the warning alarms sound or the gates close.

Anyone with information is urged to call the LAPD at 323/421-2500.

This is the sixth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second in Los Angeles County. The other LA County death occurred in South LA, as well.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones. And prayers and best wishes for the recovery of the second victim. 

 

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

Homeless man killed riding bike in San Diego’s Mission Valley; same location another homeless man killed in 2015

January 24, 2018 / / 4 comments

A homeless man lost his life Tuesday night in what appears to be a tragic case of deja vu.

According to Fox-5 San Diego, the victim, identified only as a homeless man in his 50s, was struck by a car at 6:15 pm Tuesday in San Diego’s Mission Valley.

He was reportedly trying to ride his bike across the 8800 block of Friars Road near Rio Bonita Way when he was hit by the driver of the car, who claimed he could not see the darkly clad rider until it was too late.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports he suffered a number of open fractures, and died after being transported to a hospital.

A street view shows a busy six lane roadway, with bike lanes of widely varying widths.

Police reported he was crossing Friars Road “outside of a crosswalk.” However, there doesn’t appear to be a crosswalk, or any other safe crossings, anywhere in the vicinity.

This comes a little over two years after another homeless man, 65-year old Matthew Driggers, was killed walking his bike across Friars in almost exactly the same location.

Which suggests that something has to be done to provide a safe way to cross a badly designed and inherently dangerous street.

And more has to be done to protect the most vulnerable and invisible members of society.

This is the fifth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and first in San Diego.

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

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

Redlands bike rider dies two days after crash in Highlands

January 23, 2018 / / One comment

News broke Monday night that a bike rider had suffered life threatening injuries in a Highland crash on Saturday.

Sadly, he didn’t make it.

The San Bernardino Sun reports the victim was struck by a pickup on Palm Avenue south of Third Street around 7:30 pm Saturday; he passed away from his injuries Monday afternoon.

The San Bernardino County coroner identified him as 34-year old Redlands resident Brandon Mayberry.

According to the coroner, the crash occurred as Mayberry was riding north on Palm, and was rear-ended by the driver of the truck.

The driver reportedly stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators.

A street view shows two lanes in each direction on Palm with a center turn lane, and what appears to be bike lanes on either side.

Anyone with information about the crash is urged to contact Highland Police Department Deputy Kyle Glozer at 909/425-9793.

This is the 4th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second in San Bernardino County.

My deepest sympathy for Brandon Mayberry and all his loved ones.

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

59-year old bike rider killed in South LA crash; driver fled in second car

January 12, 2018 / / One comment

Sad news from South LA, where a man in his 60s was killed in a crash with a van driver.

Although there’s some dispute as to what actually happened.

According to KTLA-5, the victim was riding west on 49th Street near Compton Ave around 5 pm when he allegedly fell in front of the van, and was run over by the driver.

The driver, described as a black woman in her 20s, initially stopped to render aid before fleeing the scene with two men in a white vehicle.

Witnesses struggled to free the victim from under the van; he died after being taken to a hospital.

He was identified as 59-year old Thomas Demetrius Adams, a resident of the Central-Alameda neighborhood.

However, in a story that’s not currently online, KNBC-4 reports the driver was exiting a driveway, and failed to see Adams before backing into him.

The station says the woman tried to help Adams at first, but fled the scene with two men who arrived in another vehicle.

Either way, it’s hit-and-run. And an innocent man is dead.

This is the third bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and first in LA County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Thomas Demetrius Adams and all his loved ones.

 

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

Santa Ana mountain bike rider collapsed and died in front of South Coast Global Medical Center

January 12, 2018 / / One comment

Even being in exactly the right place at the right time isn’t always enough.

The Orange County Register is reporting that a man, who has not been publicly identified, collapsed with riding his mountain bike on South Bristol Street in Santa Ana around 6:30 this morning.

He fell directly in front of the South Coast Global Medical Center, and was eventually taken inside where he was pronounced dead.

There’s no word on why he collapsed or the cause of death.

According to the paper, so many motorists stopped to help the victim that police initially thought he must have been hit by one of them.

Too often we only hear about the conflicts between people on bikes and in cars, whether verbal or physical, intentional or otherwise. As sad as this news is, it’s heartwarming to see that there are still people who care about others on our streets.

This is the second bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first in Orange County.

Unfortunately, issues medical issues like this can arise at any time, often with little or no warning. So let this be a reminder to see your doctor on a regular basis, especially if you’re older or have health issues, to ensure that you’re healthy enough to ride.

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

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Bike rider killed in Muscoy hit-and-run; first SoCal bicycling death of 2018

January 1, 2018 / / 4 comments

That didn’t take long.

The first Southern California bicycling fatality of 2018 came just an hour into the new year.

As did the first fatal hit-and-run.

According to the San Bernardino County Coroner’s office, a bike rider was struck by a driver around 1:05 am on the 3600 block of N. Cajon Blvd in Muscoy.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was pronounced dead at the scene less than 20 minutes later.

The driver fled the scene, apparently without stopping. No information is available on the suspect or the suspect vehicle at this time.

There’s also no information on how the collision occurred.

A street view shows a two-lane highway with a center turn lane, and no paved shoulder on either side.

This is the first Southern California bicycling fatality of 2018, and the first in San Bernardino County.

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

 

 

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

Woodland Hills bike rider killed in Lake Balboa crash; 2nd rider injured

December 29, 2017 / / 4 comments

This is the news no one wanted during the holiday season.

According to the LA Daily News, 48-year old Woodland Hills resident Matthew Dale Barnett was killed as he was riding his bike with another rider in the Lake Balboa area Wednesday evening.

Barnett and the other victim, who was not publicly identified, were riding north on the 7100 block of Hayvenhurst Ave, south of Sherman Way, when they both were struck from behind by the driver of an SUV around 6:30 pm.

Barnett was pronounced dead at the scene; the other rider was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver, who was not even mentioned in the Daily News story, remained at the scene. Police were unsure if drugs or alcohol were involved, and no word on whether the driver may have been distracted.

No arrest was made at the scene.

A street view shows Hayvenhurst has two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane, and parking on either side. The street would have likely been busy at that hour.

Anyone with information is urged to contact LAPD Detective Bill Bustos at 818/644-8021.

This is the 62nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 28th in Los Angeles County. Barnett’s death is the ninth in the City of LA since the first of the year.

And hopefully, the last.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Matthew Barnett and loved ones.

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

Bicyclist killed in Thermal crash when driver ran stop sign

December 9, 2017 / / 5 comments

A 68-year old man riding a road bike is dead because a driver couldn’t be bothered to observe a stop sign.

According to the Desert Sun, 68-year old Bellingham, Washington resident Jack Roger Laird was killed when he was struck by a driver at 12:06 pm yesterday, at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Avenue 62 in Thermal.

The driver, a woman in her mid-20s, reportedly blew through a stop sign and plowed into Laird’s bike; she stayed at the scene and was cooperating with police.

Laird died at the scene.

A street view shows a pair of two-lane roadways converging in the middle of the desert, controlled by stop signs in every direction. A CHP spokesperson says that drivers frequently ignore the stop signs.

There is a 55 mph speed limit on 62nd, and no reason to believe drivers go any slower on Fillmore.

Or that slowly, for that matter.

There’s something seriously wrong when someone can’t visit this state without going back home in a box. Or ride a bike in the middle of nowhere without worrying about drivers to whom a stop sign apparently means nothing.

This is the 61st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth in Riverside County this year. Laird is the 2nd bike rider to die in Thermal in the last four years.

That compares with 70 in SoCal this time last year, and ten in Riverside County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jack Roger Laird and all his family and loved ones.

 

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

Man killed riding bike in Murrieta collision Sunday evening

December 5, 2017 / / 2 comments

A man has died following a rear-end collision while riding his bike in Murrieta Sunday evening.

The Press-Enterprise reports that the victim, later identified as 43-year old Murrieta resident Khuda Dad, was struck by the driver of a van mid-block on Washington Ave between Lemon Street and Davenport Way at 5:57 pm.

Dad was riding north on Washington when he was rear-ended by the van. He was taken to a local hospital where he died the following day.

The driver remained at the scene. Police are still investigating what caused the crash, but say drugs or alcohol don’t appear to have been a factor.

A street view shows one northbound lane on Washington with no shoulder or sidewalk, along with a center turn lane and two southbound lanes. The street appears to have a 40 mph speed limit.

Anyone with information is urged to call to Traffic Investigator Jennifer Metoyer at 951/461-6375.

This is the 60th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh in Riverside County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Khuda Dad and all his loved ones.

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

Driver uses car as weapon to murder San Bernardino bike rider in intentional hit-and-run

November 27, 2017 / / 2 comments

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

But this time, it was not an accident — in any sense of the word.

According to a press release from the San Bernardino Police Department, 52-year old San Bernardino resident Elroy Preston was riding on the 1400 block of E. Date Street around 6:27 pm Sunday when he was struck by a driver, who fled the scene.

Preston was taken to a local hospital, where he died later that night.

Witnesses reported he was struck by a black Dodge Magnum driven by 34-year old Dominic Deshaun Simmons of Fontana; the two men had been at the same home just before the crash.

Police spotted a vehicle matching the description at a gas station in Rialto, and arrested Simmons on suspicion of murder. He is currently being held without bail.

Simmons has an extensive criminal record, as well as several outstanding warrants for failing to appear for hearings on various charges.

Preston also had a record, though no details are available; no word on what the relationship was between the two men, if any.

Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Oldendorf at 909/384-5619 or Sgt. Kokesh at 909/384-5613.

This is the 59th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 13th in San Bernardino County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Elroy Preston and all his loved ones.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , , , ,
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