The carnage continues on the streets of San Diego.
Just three days after 57-year old Laura Shinn was killed while riding her bike in Balboa Park, by a driver alleged to be high on meth, another bike rider has lost his life riding in the Clairemont neighborhood.
According to multiple sources, the victim, described only as a man in his 60s, was struck while riding his bike at the intersection of Genesee Ave, Chickasaw Court and Saulk Ave around 5:31 Friday evening.
He died after being transported to a local hospital.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports the victim, who was riding some sort of motorized bicycle, had just turned right from Sauk Ave onto northbound Genesee, most likely into the bike lane on Genesee. He then allegedly swerved left in front of the driver of a high-powered Mercedes SUV.
However, that seems unlikely if he saw the car bearing down on him as he turned, unless the driver may have been exceeding the 40 mph speed limit and closed the distance faster than expected.
It’s also questionable why he would have swerved into the left lane as the paper describes, when there is nowhere to turn left on the the divided roadway.
Which is not to say it didn’t happen that way, but it does raise a number of questions.
The 30-year old driver stayed at the scene, and was reportedly cooperating with police.
The paper also reports the victim wasn’t carrying ID with him, hampering efforts to identify him.
This is at least the 37th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 12th that I’m aware of already this year in San Diego County.
That’s one more than Los Angeles County, which has roughly three times the population.
If you’re not mad down there yet, maybe you should be.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
