A woman has been killed in a collision while riding her bike in Big Bear.
And as usual for the Inland Empire, there’s almost no information available. Except this time, there’s an LA connection.
According to the San Bernardino Sun, a 56-year old Los Angeles woman was stuck by a driver around 10:50 Monday morning at the intersection of Menlo Drive and Butte Drive. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 11:33 am.
No word on the identity of the driver, or how the collision occurred.
A street view shows a T-intersection with a two-lane road on Menlo connecting with a narrow, single lane roadway on Butte.
This is the 28th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth in San Bernardino County. That compares with 47 bike-related deaths this time last year.
Update: The victim has been identified as Karen Antonich, who was riding with a partner when she was struck by a driver headed east on Butte Drive.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Karen Antonich and her loved ones.
According to the paper, the driver has not been ticketed or charged.
The gardening truck was parked in the bike lane, but no one was cited, according to the sheriff’s department. The crash is still under investigation.
California law states vehicles may park in a bike lane if there aren’t any “no parking” signs present and it isn’t impacting the normal movement of a bicyclist, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety.
It’s hard to argue that the truck wasn’t blocking the lane if the victim couldn’t safely get around it.
The apparent purpose behind CVC 21211(b) is to keep cities from having to choose between parking and bike lanes. Yet in effect, it confuses drivers who don’t know whether or not they can park there, since it’s hard to park any vehicle in a bike lane without blocking it.
And as this tragedy shows, the consequences can be deadly for people on bicycles.
This is the 27th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth in Riverside County.
Update: The victim has been identified as 81-year old Indio resident Larry Lee Ortner. The Riverside County News Source places the scene of the crash at the southern location, around the bend of the road above Calle Chillon. Thanks to Victor B for the heads-up.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Larry Lee Ortner and his loved ones.
Hesperia resident Ryan Dennis Angus was riding west on Ranchero around 8:27 pm when he was struck in the head with the wing mirror of a passing utility truck.
A street view shows a wide-open two lane roadway with a minimal dirt shoulder.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with authorities. No word on whether he will be ticketed or charged as a result of the crash.
However, this crash could not have happened if the driver had given the victim the minimum three-foot passing distance required by state law.
This is the 26th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth in San Bernardino County. He is also the sixth bike rider to be killed in Hesperia since 2011.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Ryan Dennis Angus and his loved ones.
He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:36 this morning, according to the Riverside County Coroner’s office.
He has not yet been identified as of this writing.
No other information is available. However, it appears the driver may have remained at the scene, since a sheriff’s official reports it’s unknown if drugs or alcohol were involved.
A street view shows a T-intersection with a four lane highway on San Jacinto Avenue, with a dirt shoulder on one side and a sidewalk on the other, and a two lane street on Shaver.
It’s yet another tragic reminder to always carry ID when you ride.
This is the 25th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third in Riverside County.
Update: The Valley News reports the victim was hit when he was traveling west across San Jacinto, and was hit by the driver of a northbound Toyota Camry, then again by the driver of a pickup as he was laying on the ground.
The paper notes the dark roadway has been the scene of several recent major and fatal collisions. Which could make the city responsible for failing to correct the situation.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
Police have not confirmed whether the crash was intentional, as a witness alleged.
The name of the victim has still not been released, pending notification of next of kin; the surviving victim has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
Following in the footsteps of former Councilmember Tom LaBonge, Councilmember Paul Krekorian snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last week.
Announcing his decision on the Friday before a three-day weekend — a longstanding public relations ploy to ensure whatever you do doesn’t make the next news cycle — Krekorian pulled his support from the nearly shovel-ready plan to remake dangerous Lankershim Blvd into a safer Complete Street that would meet the needs of all road users.
The LACBC reports that he blocked the plan, like LaBonge before him, saying it had to go back to the drawing board because of inadequate public outreach.
Apparently, the countless well-attended public meetings, workshops and pop-up bike lanes held over the past year don’t count. Never mind all the previous meetings going back nearly a decade.
Instead, Krekorian inexplicably threw his hat in with street safety opponents Gil Cedillo, Paul Koretz and Curren Price, all of whom blocked much-needed safety projects supported by large segments of the community.
And never mind that this was exactly the sort of lifesaving project he claims to support, judging by this quote from Yo! Venice.
“Reducing pedestrian and traffic fatalities is something we urgently need to work toward,” said Krekorian, who serves as the Chair of the Council’s Budget and Finance Committee.
Evidently, like Cedillo, Koretz and Price, he’s all for projects designed to save lives. As long as they’re in someone else’s district.
Which means businesses on Lankershim will continue to suffer, and people will continue to risk their lives, however they chose to travel.
And they’ll have their councilmember to blame.
The LACBC offered this call to action in response to Krekorian’s misguided decision:
We firmly believe that this is not an approach that is consistent with Vision Zero’s goal of saving lives. Want to help? Join us in calling Councilmember Krekorian (818-755-7676) and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (213-972-8470) today to tell them you don’t think this project needs to go back to the drawing board.
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In today’s edition of how to lose your job as a pro cyclist, Daniel Summerhill, a rider on the United Healthcare Pro Cycling team, is charged with firing his gun at a Colorado hillside near occupied homes on a February training ride; he says he did it because he was having a bad day.
Never mind why he had a gun in his jersey pocket to begin with.
The San Diego Union-Tribune gets it right after a worrisome start, concluding that bike lanes have little or no negative effect on business. And are often good for local businesses, even if that means a loss of parking spaces.
GQ spots actor Justin Theroux riding his fixie through the streets of New York with a $3,000 Tom Ford bag on his back. Note to Theroux: Next time you have an extra three grand lying around, spend it on the bike, not the bag.
Evidently having run out of kids to order off his lawn, a columnist with the New York Post takes time out of his busy day to tell cyclists just how much they suck. Mike Wilkinson reminds up this is how it’s really done.
International
Toronto has a 10-year plan to build out a complete bicycling network to coax nervous riders onto the roads, though polite Canadian bicyclists want it built sooner, if possible. LA has a 25-year plan to create a safe bicycling network, but we’re told it’s only “aspirational.”
According to KTLA-5, the victims were riding north on the 6500 block of Winnetka Ave around 12:45 am after leaving their jobs at a nearby restaurant, when they were struck by the driver of a pickup.
A witness reported seeing the driver swerve into one victim, then swerve again to strike the other, in what may have been an intentional attack.
The driver reportedly stopped to look at the crash scene, then got back in his truck and calmly drove away.
Both victims were taken to a nearby hospital, where one of the men died. The other was reportedly conscious with serious injuries.
Neither man has been publicly identified at this time.
Driver may have targeted victims
LAPD investigators were attempting to determine if the attack was intentional or if the driver may have been under the influence.
It’s also possible that they may have been followed from the restaurant at Ventura Boulevard and Tampa Avenue.
The LA Daily News offers a description of the driver and suspect vehicle.
The vehicle was described as a white Ford or Chevrolet “utility style” pickup truck with toolboxes on the sides and possible front-end damage. The motorist was described as a white man in his late 30s or early 40s, with “close cropped” hair on his head and facial hair.
Anyone with information is urged to call 877/527-3247.
This is the 24th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 13th in Los Angeles County; it’s also the fourth in the City of Los Angeles.
Update 2: A ghost bike will be placed at the site at 9 pm tonight.
The Daily News offers an update on the story, focusing on the dangers of the street. Which is irrelevant if the driver really did attack the victims on purpose. Just like the LAPD’s tone deaf suggestion to use lights and helmets, which aren’t likely to fend off someone intent on murder.
Update 3: The LAPD has released news that the two victims were both Hispanic men; as the Daily News noted, they were leaving their work at the Cho Cho San sushi bar in Tarzana.
The victim has still not been publicly identified pending notification of next of kin; the delay suggests that they are outside of the country. Meanwhile, the surviving victim has been released from the hospital and is resting at home.
Here is video of the suspect truck police are looking for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HCJsQhufJo
If you have any knowledge of the crash or driver, you’re urged to contact Valley Homicide at the numbers below.
Anyone with information about this collision is asked to contact Valley Bureau Homicide, Detective Doerbecker at 818-374-1943. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may also visit ww.lapdonline.org, and click on “Anonymous Web Tips” under the “Get Involved-Crime Stoppers” menu to submit an online tip. Lastly, tipsters may also download the “P3 Tips” mobile application and select the LA Regional Crime Stoppers as their local program.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all his loved ones. And my prayers for the second victim for a full and fast recovery.
Thanks to Steve S, Ed Ryder and Mike Wilkinson for the heads-up.
She was booked on suspicion of manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs; however, there’s no word on what she’s suspected of being on. Presumably, police will also get a warrant to determine whether she was using her mobile phone at the time of the crash.
A street view shows an unobstructed two lane highway with a wide paved shoulder on each side.
This is the 23rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second in San Diego County.
A manhunt is on in San Bernardino County after a bicyclist was killed in what police describe as an intentional attack.
According to the Desert Dispatch, 40-year old Barstow resident Bennett Warner was riding his bike westbound on Main Street around 12:53 pm Monday when he was approached by a man identified as 22-year old Raymundo Alberto Rodriguez-Cordova of Barstow.
The two men got into an argument, after which Warner rode into a parking lot on the 1000 block of Main. Cordova followed Warner in his pickup and accelerated into Warner, slamming him into a parked car.
Cordova fled the scene following the crash, leaving Warner to die later of his injuries.
There’s no word on what the two argued about, whether it had to do with road rage or a personal dispute between the two men.
Police are looking for an older model pickup, possibly a 1993 Chevy S10, black with red or primer markings on the front, Kansas plate 180GRS.
Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Tom Lewis at 760/255-5187.
This is the 22nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third in San Bernardino County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Bennett Warner and all his loved ones.
This is the 21st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 12th in Los Angeles County; it’s also the third in the City of Los Angeles.
Update: David Wolfberg provides more information about this tragedy, along with photos from the site.
The ghost bike was placed last night. We learned from after-the-crash witnesses that the bike and victim had been dragged for half a block on southbound Crenshaw before stopping just north of Brynhurst – literally between a billboard for a personal injury attorney service to the north on the east side of Crenshaw (“Don’t wait, Call 8!” you can see on the street view) and the Harrison-Ross Mortuary on the west/south. Apparently there’s also a pedestrian & bike safety billboard on the other side of of the personal injury one – I’ll check that tonight.
The Google Map view (see street view link above) from January still holds except the cones are gone – so, two lanes of not so great pavement between curb and k-rails. There’s even a worn out sharrow in front of Highly Favored Hair Studio. Last night, instead of slowing down for a construction zone, cars were speeding and speeding up as they passed us, and we nearly witnessed another crash as a car stopped just north of the ghost bike to pick up a passenger from the sidewalk. I worry not just for cyclists, but for everyone here including construction workers who park (in a heavily guarded lot) a block down on the NW corner of Crenshaw and 48th then must cross into the construction area.
We’re told the victim was male. A reply on NextDoor indicates the victim was a minor. We had guessed, given the timing, that it was a kid biking home from school. I don’t want to speculate too much, but it did not look like an intersection crash where the bike flew in from out of nowhere. I could picture a rider trying to hug the curb and coming across the rough patch adjacent to the sharrow (check street view at 4427 Crenshaw) and faltering in front of the bus.
Update: According to a comment by the victim’s sister, his name is Luis Alvarez, a 21-year old resident of Cicero, Illinois. The family has started a GoFundMe account to bring him back home and pay funeral expenses.
According to the LAPD’s South Traffic bike liaison, Alvarez apparently passed the bus on the right, then was hit by the bus when he attempted to move back to the right to make a right turn onto Brynhurst. There’s no word yet on whether the bus was stopped or moving prior to the crash; however, a street view does not show a bus stop on that corner.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Luis Alvarez and all his loved ones.
May 15, 2017 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Update: San Bernardino bike rider killed in early Sunday morning collision; few details currently available
A man was killed riding his bicycle early Sunday morning in San Bernardino.
The paper offers no other details, and reports that it’s unclear whether the driver remained at the scene. There’s no word on how the collision occurred, whether the victim had lights on his bike, or whether either party had been drinking at that hour.
This is the 20th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second in San Bernardino County. He is also the seventh bike rider killed in the City of San Bernardino in the past five years.
Update: The Sun reports Urquijo was struck from behind while riding west along the curb line on 39th; the driver fled the scene, leaving his victim to die in the street.
Anyone with information is urged to call the San Bernardino police at 909/384-5791.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Dennis Joseph Urquijo and all his loved ones.
