January 18, 2021 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Man riding bicycle killed in double Menifee crash, as 2nd driver leaves scene; 3rd fatal Riverside County bike crash this year
For the third time in just three days, a bike rider was killed in Southern California.
And for the third time, a driver left the scene — although police were quick to excuse it.
According to the Press-Enterprise, 43-year old Lake Elsinore resident Alex Herrera was crossing Highway 74 just west of Briggs Road in Menifee around 10:45 Saturday night, when he was struck by a westbound driver, flung onto the other side of the roadway, and run over by another driver headed east.
Herrera died at the scene before police could arrive.
The second driver kept going without stopping, but lost his license plate in the crash. Police were able to track him down and were quick to absolve him of responsibility, suggesting he may not have known he hit anyone.
Because evidently, it’s perfectly normal to keep driving after feeling a large, unexpected bump without stopping to see what the hell it was.
Like maybe another person, for instance.
Police said there was no sign drug or alcohol intoxication played a role in the crash, and neither driver was ticketed or arrested at the scene.
There’s no word on why Herrera was crossing the highway west of the intersection with Briggs, with no street lights or businesses to light the roadway.
There’s also no indication if he had lights on his bike that would have made him visible in the darkness.
This is at least the sixth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in Riverside County.
Drivers have left the scene in all but two of those deaths, including all three in Riverside County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Alex Herrera and his loved ones.
A 46-year old bike rider is dead, the innocent victim of a speeding carjacker trying to make his escape through Downtown Los Angeles Saturday morning.
Now police are looking for the car thief and killer, who simply walked away after a second crash.
According to KABC-7, the series of events started when a passing pedestrian asked a newspaper delivery driver for a ride on the 900 block of Wilshire Blvd. When the driver refused, the man jumped into the running pickup while the man was stocking a newsstand.
Unable to get back into the truck, the delivery driver jumped into the back as the man sped off towards DTLA, then wisely jumped out a few blocks later, tumbling to the ground.
Witnesses saw the carjacker careening through the streets, weaving from side to side at a high rate of speed while driving on the wrong side of the roadway.
After turning onto eastbound 7th Street, he slammed into a man who was riding east just before 7th and Olive Street.
However, according to the police flier, the victim riding against traffic in the westbound bike lane — which means the driver rear-ended him while all the way on wrong side of the street.
The victim landed on the hood of the truck, and was carried nearly 100 feet before being thrown off, then tumbled another 150 feet before coming to a rest at Hill Street, a full block from where he was hit.
Paramedics attempted without luck to revive him, before declaring Finley dead at the scene.
Meanwhile, the driver continued east on 7th until he crashed into a pair of vehicles and took off on foot, melting away on the Downtown streets.
Bizarrely, he was walking barefoot and carrying a steering wheel, presumably from the truck he stole.
He was described as a Black man around 5 foot 6 inches tall and 150 to 160 pounds, and may have suffered a head injury from hitting his head on the windshield.
The suspect was last seen wearing a white hoodie and black pants, after removing the blue hoodie he was originally wearing.
As always, there is a standing $50,000 reward for any fatal hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles.
Anyone with information is urged to contact LAPD Detective Juan Campos at 213/833-3713, or e-mail hm at 31480@lapd.online. During weekends and off-hours, call 1-877/527-3247.
This is at least the fifth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County and the City of LA.
Three of those deaths have been the result of hit-and-runs.
“I still don’t even think it’s real. I feel like it’s a dream. Right now, it’s a nightmare, and I feel tomorrow I’m going to wake up and this day will never exist,” his daughter, Koi Finley, told ABC7.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Branden Finley and his loved ones.
Just over two weeks into the new year, a second bike rider has been killed in Riverside County, both the victims of hit-and-run drivers.
But at least this time, the killer was caught a few hours later.
According to My News LA, the victim was riding through the intersection of Goetz Road and Mapes Road in Perris around 8:30 pm Thursday when he was struck by a car driven by 28-year old Perris resident Nathan Craig Rogers.
The victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, died at the scene.
At last report, he was being held on $75,000 bond on suspicion of felony fatal hit-and-run and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence.
It’s unknown if drugs or alcohol played a role in the collision.
Sadly, California’s lenient hit-and-run laws mean Rogers is looking at just four years behind bars, with another year in county jail for the misdemeanor manslaughter charge.
And that’s only if the judge rules the sentences should run consecutively, rather than concurrently.
Anyone with information is urged to call Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Kiebach at 951/776-1099, or the Perris Station at 951-210-1000.
This is at least the 4th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 2nd that I’m aware of in Riverside County.
Half of those SoCal bicycling deaths have ben the result of hit-and-run drivers, both in Riverside County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
The crash happened on Monday, January 4th, at the intersection of Adams Boulevard and Nevin Avenue in the Central-Alameda neighborhood.
The driver had just turned the corner when he struck the man as he knelt near the curb. He briefly stopped, then continued on without getting out of his truck.
The crash was caught on a security cam across the street.
But be warned before you click on it, because it clearly shows the innocent victim getting hit by the driver’s truck. And there’s no way to unsee it once you do.
The biggest and most important thing an ally can do is shut up, listen, and amplify the voices of Black and brown folks, who are often silenced.
That’s an important message.
Because too often I’ve heard well-meaning white people explain to people of color what they need, instead of asking them first.
And sometimes, I’ve been one of them.
We’ve come a long way from the days when a friend told me you’d never see him or any other Black person on a bicycle, because everyone would just assume they couldn’t afford a car.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes keeps going on.
No bias here. A Singapore news site somehow concludes a bike rider was in the wrong for getting right hooked after stopping a few feet beyond the stop line, as if the truck driver that nearly hit him had no obligation to see or go around him. I would have flipped him off, too, under the same circumstances.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A bike-riding Chicago-area man was busted for allegedly committing 15 car burglaries while wearing ten different shirts and five pairs of pants; whenever he was caught on security cam he’d take off a layer to make himself less recognizable. Didn’t work, though.
The suspect vehicle is described as a 2002 – 2008 Mini Cooper, with the driver’s side window and mirror missing, as well as several pieces of side trim.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Lin Tae Kim and his loved ones.
Thanks to Kent S and Jose P for their generous donations to keep SoCal’s best bike news and advocacy coming to your favorite screen every morning — and free for everyone!
Rapley was on a layover at LAX, making his way home for the holidays, when he was run down on a Sunday morning by an underage driver still wasted from the night before.
Every one of the nearly 1,000 bicycling deaths I’ve written about haunt me, but some are always with me; Rapley’s death is one of those, because it was just so damned needless.
His death almost resulted in a parking protected bike lane on Temescal, too late to help Repley, but which might have kept the next driver from taking a life by drifting into the painted bike lane on the curving climb.
But despite my best efforts, and those of others, the proposal died amid the fierce backlash over road diets in Playa del Rey.
It would have been a fitting memorial to a life needlessly lost, to go with the white bicycle-shaped bike rack installed by Rapley’s family in the park next to where he died.
Instead, his spirit will continue to haunt me until we finally take steps to ensure not one more bike rider will die there.
Court documents allege Grace Elizabeth Coleman had a blood alcohol content of more than .20, over one and a half times the legal limit. And she had no reason to be on the road after she had already been driven home from a local brewery.
This is apparently her third DUI in just two years, including a June 2019 hit-and-run for which she assumed financial responsibility without being charged, as well as a pending DUI from this past August.
She’s currently being held without bail.
Just one more example of authorities keeping a dangerous driver on the streets until it’s too late.
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Livestrong is alive and well, even without He Who Must Not Be Named, who we’re all expected to pretend never won the Tour de France once, let alone seven times.
The cancer charity slash website offers an extensive and useful compendium of 95 bike stats, ranging from global cycling to crashes — not accident, please — and broken down by sex, race and ethnicity.
Yep! If you live somewhere that distributes them, such as in Edmonton ^ they'll get you a QR sticker that adds your bike to their organization and allows them to easily scan and get in touch with you. You can also email lily@bikeindex.org to get a Bike Index one 🙂
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes keeps going on.
Italian pro Andrea Vendrame was the victim of a road raging driver, who got out of his car and punched him following a punishment pass on a training ride, all for no apparent reason other than Vendrame was riding on the roadway.
A Detroit father of five was surprised with a new car after his fellow Carvana employees took pity on him for riding his bike 30 miles to work in frigid weather. Which might be warmer, but may or may not be a improvement.
This is the cost of traffic violence. A South Carolina band director suffered major injuries when he was struck by a cowardly driver while on a half-century ride; the driver was apprehended shortly after fleeing the scene.
Thanks to Samer S, Terence H, Michael S, Matthew H and Georgia M for their generous donations to help keep SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.
And help keep it free for everyone, while keeping you informed — and hopefully, entertained a little.
Thirty-two-year old Lake Forest resident Rogelio Martinez-Cuin was sentenced after pleading guilty to felony counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run with permanent and serious injury, as well as driving with a suspended license.
Martinez-Cuin was reportedly speeding and ran a red light before slamming into Tomlinson’s bike.
He was arrested after abandoning his car about a mile away.
In a heart-rending coda to the tragedy, Tomlinson’s wife learned about the crash when she drove up on the scene in his final moments.
Hit-and-run carries a maximum penalty of four years in California, while vehicular manslaughter is punishable by a max of six years in state prison.
That suggests that Martinez-Cuin may have accepted a plea, or else lucked out with a lenient judge.
The first episode of the Chasing History series was released this week, as they become the first cycling team from a Historically Black College or University, aka HBCU, to take to the streets.
Another day, another Amazon driver blocking the bike lane.
Unmarked van in Sunset Boulevard bike lanes with a dashboard full of Amazon packages. And there was a parking space two car lengths ahead. pic.twitter.com/PgIfyAK3RO
You may finally be able to rent a scooter or dockless ebike in WeHo, leaving Beverly Hills as the Westside’s lone e-scooter desert.
BREAKING – West Hollywood City Council voted 5-0 to overturn the scooter ban! Three pilot operators should be able to operate very soon in the city. This also impacts dockless e-bikes. Thanks to all that took the time to make public comment! https://t.co/q3apHJgBmA
Sixty-three Denver 2nd graders got new bicycles, courtesy of carbon belt-drive maker Gates Corp.’s fourth annual bicycle giveaway. And yes, they all got belt-drive bikes.
Now you can finally predict how likely a driver is to be drunk based solely on what they drive.
Funny not funny: New study analyzes which owners of various car and truck models are most likely to get DUIs. Not surprisingly truck and luxury-car owners top the list. (h/t @mattposh). One in 22 Ram 2500 owners has had a DUI.https://t.co/VwlHIz0lJgpic.twitter.com/5oI8mQYofR
In parliament, Dec 18, former Tory chief whip Lord Blencathra asked roads minister Baroness Vere — @CharlotteV — when DfT would introduce £5k fines & 6 months imprisonment for those who ride on pavements or block same with “heavyweight” e-bikes. Motorists? Carry on as before. pic.twitter.com/14eISP4iA7
Once again, a Southern California bike rider has died alone on the side of the roadway because a heartless coward couldn’t be bothered to stop or call for help.
According to the Hi-Desert Star, 37-year Sky Sunday was killed Thanksgiving evening when he was hit by the driver of a Ford Explorer in Landers, in San Bernardino County.
Sunday’s body was discovered by a Yucca Valley family, about 15 minutes after they’d spotted him riding his ebike wearing a yellow helmet.
A CHP officer attempted CPR until paramedics arrived, but it was too late. There’s no way to know at this time whether he might have been saved if he’d gotten help sooner.
A Minnesota native, Sunday had worked as a bartender in Long Beach until he lost his job as a result of the pandemic. He was staying with his dog in a friend’s cabin in Landers when he was killed.
Now his dog waits in vain for Sunday to come back home.
Friends described him as a beautiful soul, and the definition of a free spirit. Now he’s dead, and the driver who murdered him remains free.
Friends were able to locate security video showing the SUV, but not in enough detail for investigators to identify who was behind the wheel.
It’s described as a 1995 to 2001 Ford Explorer, color unknown, with extensive front end damage including a missing grill.
Anyone with information is urged to call CHP Officer Schmidt at 760/366-3707.
This is at least the 62nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Sky Sunday and his loved ones.
November 25, 2020 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Your help needed for precedent-setting legal case, Epstein enters CD5 council race, and reward for hit-and-run drivers
This has been a rough year for all of us.
And riding a bike hasn’t always been enough to get through it, emotionally or otherwise.
So take some time to find something you can truly be thankful for, and give your heart and mind a break for a few days.
And stay safe out there. I want to see you back here bright and early when we return to our regular programming on Monday.
The corgi puppy is already hard at work preparing for her debut as our new spokesdog.
But feel free if you want to get a jump on donating and beat the holiday rush.
Update: Thanks to Arthur B for kicking the fund drive off!
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Today I learned what depublishing means — and what we can do about it.
Recently, we mentioned a legal ruling from a California appeals court that held Sonoma County responsible for injuries a woman suffered when her bike hit a pothole at 25 mph, setting a precedent that would make it easier for other injured riders to hold local governments accountable for bad roads, and their failure to maintain them.
The argument put forth by appeals attorney Nadia Sarkis, representing the County, focused on the length, speed, and purpose of Williams’ ride, claiming that as she was engaged in an “extreme sport” and was not an “ordinary user” of the road, she assumed the “inherent risk of the sport.” In other words, she should have known she could get hurt riding a bike and that County liability for poor road condition therefore does not apply to her.
The Justices’ line of questioning really hammered on this idea that the County’s liability varies based on the speed and purpose of a cyclist’s ride on a given day. One Justice gave Sarkis some hypotheticals and asked in which cases the County has duty. They included a woman riding at the same speed and distance but to work; a teenager riding the same speed but on her way to soccer practice; a 65-year-old woman riding the same speed on an electric bike she bought after having a knee replacement. They all seemed somewhat incredulous only Williams’ incident, but not the rest of these situations, should release the County from liability for the cyclist’s injuries and questioned the whole idea of defining “ordinary” versus “extreme” bicycling.
(Sarkis had quoted a study on “average” speed and distance for recreational versus transportational cyclists and implied that anything above “average” was “extreme.” The speed and distance of Dr. Williams’ ride were certainly those of a fit and serious rider, but nowhere near what any of us would consider “extreme.”)
Which is ridiculous, of course. And has nothing to do with the failure to ensure a safe riding surface.
Which is where you come in.
Alan Charles Dell’Ario, the plaintiff’s attorney, is asking for letters from bicyclists to forward the Supreme Court within to oppose depublishing the ruling, and keep it as a precedent that could prove invaluable to other injured riders.
Just hurry, because it’s due at the Supreme Court by the end of next week.
Update: Mr. Dell’Ario sends word that your letter must follow the format below to be forwarded to the court.
Thanks to Phillip Young for the heads-up.
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This year’s city council election ended less than a month ago. But the campaign to replace termed out Paul Koretz in CD5 is just getting started, as Scott Epstein tossed his cycling cap into the ring.
I am running for city council because I believe we need leaders in LA who are at once connected to community and committed to progress. This is a campaign fueled by #PeoplePower which is why I’m so proud to have the endorsements of over 100 civic leaders & engaged CD5 residents. pic.twitter.com/JEaLrA7m8D
Epstein is a life-long bike rider and advocate for safer streets, and a long-time leader with both the Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Mid City West Community Council.
I’ve known him for over a decade, and it’s hard to imagine a better replacement for the pseudo-environmentalist Koretz, who has opposed virtually every bike project in his district.
Epstein has my unqualified support. And you can find a long list of other endorsements by clicking on the thread above.
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This is who we share the road with.
The LAPD is looking for a motorcyclist and two drivers who ran down a South LA man in a deadly triple hit-and-run.
Fifty-year old Jose Fuentes was crossing Central Ave near 78th Street when the motorcycle rider slammed into him, followed by both drivers running over him, one after the other, as he lay in the roadway.
And not one had the basic human decency to stick around afterwards, let alone call for help or render aid.
Meanwhile, 76-year old Kuen Ham died several hours after she was run down by yet another hit-and-run driver as she was crossing Miramar Street at Union Ave in the Westlake District, dragging her several feet as they fled the scene.
As always, there is standing $50,000 reward offered by the City of Los Angeles for information leading to an arrest and conviction in any fatal hit-and-run, which applies in both these cases.
Thanks to Jeff Vaughn for the Fuentes heads-up.
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Four people find the balance between mountain biking and skiing.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
The NYPD has finally done the right thing, and cancelled dozens of outstanding ebike tickets after the city belatedly got around to legalizing them; the department’s crackdown fell primarily on immigrant delivery riders who could least afford it.
He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was described only as male, which could be an indication that police weren’t able to immediately identify him.
The driver continued north on Main without stopping; the suspect vehicle is described only as a dark-colored sedan.
There’s no other information available at this time. No word on how the crash happened, or whether the victim had lights on after dark.
Or if the driver did, for that matter.
Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD Detective Flannery or Officer Mitchell at 323/421-2500.
As always, there is a standing $50,000 reward for any fatal hit-and-run in Los Angeles, despite mention of just half that amount in the KTLA report.
This is at least the 59th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 16th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.
At least seven of those deaths in LA County have been hit-and-runs.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his love ones.
