News broke late Sunday morning that a bike rider had been seriously injured by a hit-and-run driver in Newport Beach.
It was this evening before we learned that the victim didn’t survive.
Although as video from the scene makes clear, he never had a chance.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding on the 3000 block of Jamboree Road near Camelback Street when he was struck by a driver around 8:30 am.
The driver fled the scene following the crash.
Initial reports suggested that the victim had suffered major injuries, with a watch commander with the Newport Beach Police Department stated his condition was “not real good.”
As it turned out, that was quite an understatement.
Raw video from the scene shows the coroner arriving and removing the victim’s body from a tent alongside the road, making clear he had died at the scene, and was never even taken to a hospital.
A black road bike can be seen lying in the bike lane with a shattered rear wheel, suggesting that the victim had been run down from behind. Meanwhile, the police tent where his body had been secluded sat a couple dozen yards up the road, making it clear he had been hit with significant force.
The posted speed limit on the street is 55 mph, making the crash almost impossible to survive. There is simply no excuse for speeds that high on any surface streets.
Police were looking for a white sedan with a cracked windshield, no make or model given. However, the Orange County Register reports a driver has been detained for questioning, though it was unclear if they have been arrested.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Newport Beach Police Department at 949/644-3681, or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855/847-6227.
This is at least the 64th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 15th that I’m aware of in Orange County. That equals the county total for all of 2020, which had been the worst year in recent memory.
It’s also the third fatal bike crash in the county just this month.
Twenty-one of those SoCal deaths have been hit-and-runs.
Note: I’m not embedding the video, since it shows the victim being loaded into the coroner’s van, and his loved ones don’t need to see that.
Update: The Daily Pilot has identified the victim as 43-year old Costa Mesa resident Randon William Cintron. The paper reports a woman was taken into custody two miles away from the crash site; however, she has not been publicly identified.
According to the website 2urbangirls, the alleged driver was found with her car on the 2100 block of Eastbluff Drive near Corona del Mar High School, where she was detained and arrested.
Commenters to this story indicate the crash occurred on the uphill side of Jamboree Road, with no driveways or connecting roads that would justify merging into the separated bike lane.
A crowdfunding campaign has met the $20,000 goal in just one day.
Update 2: The driver has been identified as 36-year old Anaheim resident Adriana Rivera Bernal. She was reportedly high on an undisclosed drug at the time of the crash.
Bernal reportedly has a history of drug abuse, petty theft, ID theft and auto theft, as well as multiple DUIs. She’s being held on $1 million bond on charges of murder and hit-and-run, and faced arraignment Tuesday on two previous Orange County arrests.
Anyone with information is urged to call Newport Beach Police Investigator M. Keyworth at 949/644-3746.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Randon William Cintron and all his loved ones.
Thanks to Oceanside bike lawyer Richard Duquette, Mark Herda, Bill Sellin, Christian and an anonymous source for the heads-up.
