A thin stripe of white paint apparently wasn’t enough to protect an Orange County teenager Thursday morning.
According to the Daily Pilot, 18-year old Huntington Beach resident David Mario Garcia Olmos was riding his bike in the westbound bike lane on Talbert Ave, just west of Bell Circle, around 6:15 am when he was struck by a driver traveling in the same direction
He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died later Thursday morning.
The driver, identified only as a 25-year old Fullerton man, remained at the scene. Investigators say he did not appear to be under the influence.
There’s no word at this time whether Olmos was struck from behind, or right hooked as the driver turned into the nearby parking lot. Either way, the limited protection offered by the painted bike lane failed to keep him safe.
Anyone with information is urged to call Huntington Beach Police Traffic Investigator C. Houlston at 714/536-5670.
This is at least the seventh bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in Orange County.
It’s also the second fatal bike crash in Orange County in less than a week.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for David Mario Garcia Olmos and all his loved ones.
