Tag Archive for Los Angeles County

Happy Bike Day such as it is, sex workers protest Mexico City bikeway, and summing up CA candidates in a single sentence

May 21, 2026 / / 3 comments

My apologies for yesterday’s unexcused absence.

I’m learning in real time that my body no longer responds like it did when I rode a bike every day, which seems like something I should have learned a long time ago.

Okay, so I’m a little slow.

There’s a limit to what I can do now before I just shut down. And trying to dig a little deeper like I did on m bike just makes it shut down harder.

Oh, and diabetes sucks.

That one I already knew. But still. 

Today’s photo: Metro Bike is free today for Bike Day, no matter how many legs you have, and whether you fit on the seat or in the basket. 

………

Happy Bike Day in Los Angeles County.

No, seriously, that sound you hear is me whipping out the noisemakers.

Metro and Metrolink buses and trains will be free today for anyone with a bicycle or a bike helmet, along with free Metro Bike bikeshare rides; some other bus lines will likely participate, but your mileage may vary.

Twitter post

Pasadena will host a Bike Day pit stop at City Hall from 7 am to 9:30 am handing out free coffee, snacks, and giveaways for anyone who shows up on a bike.

Meanwhile, a San Diego bike co-op is bypassing that city’s Bike Anywhere Day because the San Diego County Association of Government, aka SANDAG, which is sponsoring it, is selling information from a criminal database to the feds.

………

Um, okay.

NPR reports that Mexico City is getting pushback after preparing to host the World Cup by opening the new 15-mile Great Tenochtitlan Bike Highway, running from the center of town all the way to the main World Cup stadium.

Not from drivers. Or business owners.

Sex workers.

Like other professionals that claim their sales are down after a bike lane goes in, the street walkers of Calzada de Tlalpan insist their earnings are down 70%, because the bike lane now covers the outer lane of the roadway where they used to stand and negotiate with customers.

And while bikes may be good for business, as a rule, they offer very little privacy.

Although they do travel at a slower pace, allowing riders more time to examine their, uh, options. And giving everyone more time to drive a hard bargain or lend a hand.

Thanks to Joel for the heads-up. 

………

If you’re still stuck on who to vote for, the Golden State Report’s Mariel Garza offers the most concise summary of the candidates running for California governor I’ve seen.

The former Los Angeles Times Opinion editor says forget about the polls, and vote for the candidate who most closely matches your values, while somehow managing to accurately capture the gist of each one in just a single sentence.

For example,

Vote for:

Xavier Becerra if you are happy with the way the state has been heading policy-wise and prefer a governor with unquestioning loyalty to the Democratic Party who is unlikely to make substantial changes…

Steve Hilton if you are a Republican or a conservative-leaning independent who is not super MAGA, but wants the state to abandon its climate-change objectives and focus on drilling and logging.

Matt Mahan if you want a business- and tech-friendly centrist Democrat as governor who will bring a flavor of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie to the whole state…

It’s worth clicking through to read the entire, very brief, piece.

Because she nails it.

And she did more to clarify my thinking than two months worth of angry debates filled with gubernatorial wannabes shouting over one another.

Speaking of Garza, she also considers LA Mayor Karen Bass’ concern about trash lining the streets of the Golden State, as if the mayor’s fair city isn’t the biggest offender.

Look, I’m not saying I’m old.

But I remember when Los Angeles had trash cans on every corner of every thoroughfare, and people who actually came out and emptied them once or twice a week.

Ask your grandparents, kids.

And I, for one, can’t wait for people come here for the World Cup, and return home talking about the squalor they found on the streets of Los Angeles.

Yeah, us.

………

Megan forwards news that San Jose bike riders will soon have to share bike lanes with DoorDash delivery robots. Never mind that people on bicycles could face added risk from motorists un inattentive motorists while swerving around the bots blocking the bike lane.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

A New Jersey letter writer, who cites his experience founding a bike bus and as a Scouting Bicycling Merit Badge Counselor as his source of expertise, says opposition to New Jersey’s draconian licensing requirement for all ebikes is disingenuous, because it usually hinges on the benefits of ebikes for elderly people, who aren’t the primary buyers of ebikes. As if there aren’t multiple types of ebikes and users, with multiple motivations, and no possible options between no regulation and a heavy-handed crackdown.

Drivers in Oxfordshire, England oppose a new plan to convert ten streets, out of God only knows how many, into quiet streets for people who “walk, wheel, cycle, and horse ride.” Because of course they do.

This is what a punishment pass looks like. And why a driver got the equivalent of a $5,800 fine and lost his license for three months — even if video like that couldn’t be used as proof of a traffic violation in most of this country.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A website devoted to odd stories lists 15 crimes involving bicycles that you didn’t know, even though it’s actually 14, and only 13 if you don’t consider Lance’s doping a criminal offense. And they apparently don’t know that the outlaw Harry Longabaugh was better known as the Sundance Kid.

A Punjabi political writer complained about the state governor riding a bike to the capital on No Car Day, noting he lives directly across the street and could have just walked, instead of stopping traffic for his short bike ride.

………

Local 

Streetsblog says progress is being made on the long-delayed Mid-City Greenways project, including a new roundabout and diverter on Rosewood Ave; the project aims to connect Rosewood, Formosa Ave and Orange Drive to make them more conducive to walking and bicycling

Walk ‘n Rollers is hosting a walk to explore the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve, while Bike Culver City is holding a feeder ride to get there.

 

State

Sad news from San Luis Obispo, where someone riding a bicycle was killed in a collision around noon yesterday.

This is who we share the road with. The CHP has identified the 24-year old driver who fled on foot after killing two 20-year old men who had stopped their e-motorcycles in the roadway, while allegedly speeding and under the influence.

 

National

CyclingSavvy offers advice on how to avoid potholes and the dreaded pinch flat. Although I’d be far more concerned about the dreaded face plant.

Velo offers their expert picks on how to pick the best gravel bike. And for a change, when they say expert, they might actually mean it. 

Officials in Eugene, Oregon discuss bike safety plans after four bicycling deaths already this year, ten years after committing to Vision Zero. Although they apparently didn’t have much to say. 

This is who we share the road with, part two. A Vancouver, Washington driver is accused of intentionally running down two teenaged kids who were sharing a dirt bike and allegedly harassing people in a parking lot.

Life is cheap in Denver, where a hit-and-run driver walked without a single day behind bars for killing a 21-year-old Turkish aerospace engineering student riding a bicycle in the city.

Colorado-based Niner Bikes is apparently the latest bike brand to bite the dust, pausing operations while its parent company ponders its future direction. Which is business speak for “We outta here.”

A Milwaukee writer debates her rights as a bicyclist versus her instincts for self-preservation, and to just, you know, be nice.

A new two-way bike lane will allow bicyclists to circle all of Belle Isle, Michigan, a nearly 1,000 acre island in the middle of the Michigan River off Detroit — even though the map appears to show it as a straight route through the heart of the island.

New York is preparing for next month’s World Cup by doubling the width of one of the city’s busiest protected bike lanes. Meanwhile, Los Angeles is preparing by doing what it does best. Nothing. 

 

International

Momentum offers tips on how to stay cool, hydrated and comfortable on your ride to work.

Bike Radar makes the case for why every bike should have mud guards, including your 4.5 oz Unobtainium-frame roadie.

Montréalais et Québécois are being urged to take the Metro or ride a bike to attend the Canadian Grand Prix, since the F1 event is ironically carfree.

Naturally, the popular “bun run” in the shadow of Windsor Castle has been reframed in the context of bike vs cars. Because when you only have one lens, that’s how you see everything.

I want to be like him when I grow up. A 91-year old British gent is in the midst of a 500-mile fundraising ride.

Now you, too, could own Albert Einstein’s German bike seat. Even though it was the other end of the famed physicist that came up with the Theory of Relativity and such. 

 

Competitive Cycling

In case you missed the more cryptic mention the other day, pro cyclists have been asked not to pee in their water bottles and toss them onto the side of the road. Because racing fans like to pick up discarded souvenirs.

Carson’s VELO Sports Center will host a UCI 2 six-event track cycling series, offering a preview of competition ahead of the ’28 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The San Diego Velodrome will comply with new rules banning trans women by making all future sanctioned races “open” for competitors of any gender, with the expectation that most people will still select races that align with their gender identity.

 

Finally…

Your next ebike could be a woodie. That feeling when a bike lane is “failed” and “underutilized” because it’s full of parked cars.

And you can’t say we haven’t made progress over the past few millennia; thanks to Steven for forwarding.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Update: Man riding ebike killed by hit-and-run driver in LA’s Jefferson Park neighborhood; 8th SoCal bike rider killed in hit-and-run this year

April 27, 2026 / / No comments

Another day, another person killed riding an ebike in Southern California.

This time in Los Angeles.

And this time in a hit-and-run.

Just hours after a 13-year old boy was killed by was killed by an Amtrak train in Simi Valley, a man was killed by a driver in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

According to KTLA-5, which is currently the only outlet reporting on the crash, the victim was struck while riding near 36th Street and 5th Ave around 11 pm Saturday night.

The victim, described only as a man around 48-years old, was thrown onto a parked car with enough force to cause significant damage to the rear of the car.

He died at the scene.

The driver fled following the crash. No arrest has been made, and there is currently no description of the suspect vehicle.

There is also no word on how the crash occurred, or where the victim and the driver were located in relation to the intersection.

We also don’t know at this time what kind of ebike the victim was riding; whether it was a Class 1, 2 or 3 ebike, or an e-motorbike or electric dirt bike. An earlier report describes the bike as a motorized or motorbike, but that description was removed from the later update.

The earlier report also describes the victim as 38-years old.

This the 28th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the tenth in Los Angeles County; it’s also the fifth we know about in the City of Los Angeles.

Eight of those deaths have involved hit-and-run drivers.

As always, there is a standing $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any fatal hit-and-run driver in the City of Los Angeles.

Update: The victim has been identified only as a 38-year old man, pending notification of next-of-kin, while police are now looking for the owner of a dark-colored Jeep Wrangler, no model year given. 

Anyone with information is urged to call Officer Diaz and Sergeant Nily at 323/421-2577, or 1-877/527-3247 during non-business hours. Or call anonymously at 1-800/222-8477 or lacrimestoppers.org.

Update 2: The victim has been identified as 37-year old Melvin Salgado, no city of residence given.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Melvin Salgado and all his loved ones.

 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , , ,

Update: Boy riding e-scooter dies two days after Pomona collision

April 20, 2026 / / No comments

Every bicycling death is tragic.

But somehow, it seems even worse when the victim is a kid.

That was the case in Pomona this week, where a boy died two days after he was struck by a driver while riding an ebike.

KTLA-5 reports the victim was riding on the sidewalk on the 1600 block of South San Antonio Ave, near Patterson Street, around 2:30 pm Friday, when he rode out into the street and was struck by a driver.

It’s not clear from the limited description whether he rode out into Patterson at the intersection, or went off the sidewalk and into the street on San Antonio.

A street view shows a bike lane on both sides of the street, so it’s questionable why the victim would have been on the sidewalk.

It’s also not clear whether he was riding was a legal Class 1, 2 or 3 ebike, or an illegal e-moto. Which is exactly the problem when the same word is used to describe anything with batteries and two wheels.

He was taken to a local hospital before being transferred to Children’s Hospital Orange County, where he died on Sunday.

The victim hasn’t been publicly identified, and there’s no word at this time just how old he is.

The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, although police remain unsure whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the collision.

Update: Shortly after posting this, KNBC-4 and KABC-7 reported that the victim was a student Simons Middle School, a few blocks away in Pomona. 

Thirteen-year old Angel Mendoza was struck as he was riding an e-scooter to a friend’s house, and died of severe head injuries; he was not wearing a helmet.

A crowdfunding campaign has raise more than $12,000 of the $15,000 goal. 

Since he was not riding a bicycle, the number of bicycling deaths in Southern California remains at 25, and nine in Los Angeles County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Angel Mendoza and all his family and loved ones. 

Ghost tire photo from Streets Are For Everyone website. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , ,

Update: 73-year old woman dies after apparent right-hook hit-and-run in Koreatown Monday; suspected DUI driver arrested

March 14, 2026 / / Comments Off on Update: 73-year old woman dies after apparent right-hook hit-and-run in Koreatown Monday; suspected DUI driver arrested

Seriously, this has got to stop.

For the fourth time just this week, someone has died riding a bicycle in Southern California.

Multiple sources are reporting that a 73-year old woman was killed by the driver of a pickup in a Koreatown crosswalk Monday morning.

The driver stopped briefly, then backed up and fled the scene.

The crash occurred around 6:40 am at Olympic Blvd and Vermont Ave, as the pickup was headed east on Olympic. The driver attempted to turn right onto Vermont, and apparently right hooked the victim as she rode east across Vermont.

Although that part isn’t exactly clear, because the reports say she was in the crosswalk on Olympic when she was struck; only My News LA says she was headed east, which would put her in the crosswalk on Vermont.

The driver stopped for a moment, then backed up onto Olympic and fled east.

The victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, was taken to a hospital, where she died sometime later.

Police found a white Dodge Ram pickup matching the description of the suspect vehicle nearby and took the driver into custody. Investigators note that drug use “may” have played a role in the crash, though it’s unknown if alcohol may have also been a factor.

The crash is still under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to call detectives with the LAPD’s West Traffic Division at 213/473-0234 or 1-877/527-3247.

This the 21st bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the ninth already in Los Angeles County; it’s also the fourth we know about in the City of Los Angeles.

Six of those SoCal deaths have involved hit-and-run drivers.

Update: The victim has been identified as 73-year old Kum Soon Lee-Kim. 

However, someone should tell My News LA that once a driver flees the scene, it’s not a “suspected” hit-and-run driver, it is a hit-and-run. The driver is only suspected once they’re accused.

However, there also seems to be some question whether the accused driver was taken into custody; KTLA-5 says an arrest was made, but My News LA says police are still looking for the driver, with the usual standing $50,000 reward for any fatal hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and her loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , ,

Update: 67-year old man on bike killed by driver of Santa Clarita bus in Castaic Wednesday morning; 19th SoCal bike death this year

March 11, 2026 / / Comments Off on Update: 67-year old man on bike killed by driver of Santa Clarita bus in Castaic Wednesday morning; 19th SoCal bike death this year

Seriously, this has got to stop.

For the 19th time in just 70 days, someone riding a bicycle has been killed on the mean streets of Southern California.

This time in Castaic Wednesday morning.

Multiple sources report that a man was struck and killed by the driver of a Santa Clarita city bus at Green Hill Drive and Pinto Place around 7:30 am.

The victim, identified only as 67-year old man, was dead at the scene by the time emergency personnel arrived.

Of course, the CHP was quick to blame on him for possibly drifting into the path of the bus.

Which also means it’s possible he didn’t.

The driver of the Santa Clarita Transit bus appears to be the only witness to the crash, since the only passenger on the bus left before investigators arrived.

In the absence of any independent witnesses, it will be up to CHP investigators to determine what actually happened. And investigating bicycle crashes is not exactly their strong point.

As noted above, this the 19th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the eighth in Los Angeles County.

That means a bike rider has been killed in SoCal roughly every three-and-a-half days since the first of the year. And less than once every nine days in LA County.

The victim has been identified as 67-year old Castaic resident Hahn Truong.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Hahn Truong and his loved ones.

Thanks to Henry for the heads-up. 

 

 

 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

Man dies mountain biking near La Tuna Foot Trail in remote section of Shadow Hills; 12th SoCal bike death in 30 days

February 8, 2026 / / Comments Off on Man dies mountain biking near La Tuna Foot Trail in remote section of Shadow Hills; 12th SoCal bike death in 30 days

Make that 12.

Just hours after learning about the 11th bicycling death in Southern California in just the last 30 days, we learned that yet another person has lost his life riding a bicycle.

This time in Los Angeles County. Although it’s not exactly clear how or why.

Multiple sources are reporting that a man was found next to his mountain bike in severe medical distress, in a remote section of Shadow Hills above Burbank Sunday morning.

Aeromedics were dispatched at 10:44 am, and lowered by helicopter after locating the man near the La Tuna Foot Trail, and immediately began lifesaving efforts. Additional personnel from the Los Angeles and Burbank Fire Departments hiked in and travelled by Jeep to reach the scene.

However, despite their efforts, the victim was declared dead at 11:38.

There’s no word at this time whether victim’s medical condition was caused by a fall or natural causes, or due to some other factor. It’s also possible his death could have been due to natural causes brought on by mountain biking.

He was publicly identified only as a man around 50.

The scene was turned over to law enforcement for further investigation.

This the 12th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and remarkably, already the seventh in Los Angeles County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and her loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Update: Woman riding bicycle killed by speeding hit-and-run driver in Long Beach; 11th SoCal bike rider killed in last 4 weeks

February 8, 2026 / / Comments Off on Update: Woman riding bicycle killed by speeding hit-and-run driver in Long Beach; 11th SoCal bike rider killed in last 4 weeks

This is getting really old.

For the 11th time in the past 30 days — okay, 28 — someone has been killed riding a bicycle on the mean streets of Southern California.

And once again, the victim was murdered by a hit-and-run driver.

According to the Long Beach Police Department, a woman riding a bicycle was mowed down by a motorist who ran a stop sign in broad daylight, then just kept running.

The crash occurred at 4:48 pm Saturday — about 45 minutes before sunset — at Redondo Avenue and East 2nd Street.

Police report the victim was riding south on Redondo when the driver blew through the stop sign on westbound 2nd at a high rate of speed, striking her, then continuing west on 2nd without stopping.

When police arrived, they found the woman, who has not been publicly identified, being tended to by a bystander who had stopped to help. She was taken to a local hospital, where she died.

Authorities are looking for the driver of a 2025 gray Hyundai Sonata; there’s no description of the driver at this time.

Long Beach Watchdog reports she was the fifth person killed as a result of traffic violence in the city already this year, two of the dead were on bikes.

According to the Long Beach Post,

Fatal traffic collisions have been a growing problem in Long Beach despite the city promising it would try to eliminate them completely by 2026. Last year, there were 53 deadly crashes in the city. Most people killed were outside a car: walking, biking or riding an e-scooter.

Long Beach’s strategy is to force drivers to slow down, but the city has faced criticism for moving too slowly on some tactics, such as installing automated speed cameras.

Anyone with information is urged to call LBPD Collision Investigation Detail Detective Edwin Paredes at 562/570-7110, or anonymously through LA Crime Stoppers at 1-800/222-TIPS (8477).

This the 11th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the sixth in Los Angeles County; three of those SoCal deaths were caused by hit-and-run drivers.

Update: The victim has been identified as 54-year old Long Beach resident Lori Ann Carreon, a beloved local occupational therapist who worked with school-age children.

She was just one block from her home when she was killed. 

Forty-year old Christopher Bryant of Los Angeles turned himself in on Wednesday, admitting that he was the driver who fled after killing Carreon.

He was booked on $50,000 bond on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, hit-and-run involving death and reckless driving.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Lori Ann Carreon and her loved ones. 

Thanks to Chris and Danny for the heads-up. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

Update: 36-year old woman and unborn baby killed riding ebike on Pershing Drive in Playa del Rey, where bike lanes removed in 2017

February 2, 2026 / / 10 comments

Apparently, last month isn’t done with us yet. And it ends with perhaps the worst news of all.

After a month that had already seen seven people lose their lives riding a bicycle in Southern California, you can add two more to the tragic toll.

And one wasn’t even born yet.

According to a crowdfunding campaign, 36-year old Regan Cole-Graham died after being struck by a driver while riding a bicycle with her husband and two kids this past Saturday.

She was seven months pregnant.

Her unborn daughter survived another day before dying in the NICU at UCLA Children’s Hospital on Sunday.

What appears to be an AI generated site offers information that appears to come from the police report, placing the crash around 6 pm on Pershing Drive in Playa del Rey. A mobile app places it around the corner at 451 E. Manchester Ave at 6:02 pm.

Meanwhile a witness on Reddit says the crash occurred directly in front of the Hacienda Playa restaurant on Pershing.

According to the AI site above, Cole-Graham was pronounced dead on arrival after being taken to a hospital.

There’s no details on how the crash occurred, though the same site says she was riding an ebike. The driver remained at the scene.

Sadly, that’s exactly where bike lanes were installed in 2017 after a years-long community process, only to be removed following complaints from drivers used to zooming along the street.

It’s impossible to know whether this tragedy could have been prevented if the bike lanes were still there. But their removal will almost certainly mean Los Angeles will be liable for her death.

The GoFundMe describes Cole-Graham as “…a loving & devoted wife, a fierce & joyful mother, a hilarious & loyal sister, and a beautiful, fiery daughter.”

As of this writing, the site has raised more than $134,000 to pay for funeral expenses and help her husband and kids with their future, while the goal has been raised to $210,000.

These are the eighth and ninth bicycling fatalities that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, the fourth and fifth in Los Angeles County, and the second and third reported in the City of Los Angeles.

Update: At least now we know what happened.

According to Fox-11, Regan Cole-Graham and her husband were both riding ebikes, with their two sons strapped into the child seats on their bikes. And yes, they were all wearing helmets.

Not that it would have helped under the circumstances.

An 87-year old driver ran down Cole-Graham from behind, knocking her into the street, where he ran over her with his sedan. Her three-year old son remained strapped into his seat as the car pushed her bike down the street, suffering minor injuries.

The driver remained at the scene; police do not think he was under the influence.

According to CBS News,

Yuda Zweda witnessed the incident and says that she briefly spoke with the man afterwards.

“The only thing he really said, ‘Please pray that she survives,'” Zweda said.

People who live in the area say that the intersection is dimly lit and dangerous for pedestrians.

“They put in some speed bumps down there and flashing lights, but I still just don’t think people seem to notice,” said one resident.

Ashley Saglie, described as a friend of the victim, expounded on that.

“I think a lot needs to change. I think there needs to be better lighting, I think there needs to be an expanded bike path,” Saglie said.

Never mind that there was a briefly bike lane on Pershing Drive, right where the crash happened, less than nine years earlier.

According to the California Post, the new West Coast edition of Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post, Cole-Graham was an executive with Google’s LA office.

Cole-Graham had worked for Google in Los Angeles since 2019, where she served as Consumer Marketing Lead and later Brand Partnerships Lead and orchestrated a multi-million dollar partnership with Live Nation among other deals, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Before that, she worked as a Senior Product Marketing Manager for AT&T and marketing manager at DirecTV, where her father also worked as an executive and helped her get her first job after she graduated from San Diego State University, her family’s lawyer said.

According to the Post, her husband described her as an “amazing wife” and “the world’s best mother.”

Brian Breiter, the attorney for the family, commented on the tragedy, as well as questioning why the man who hit her was still driving.

This is the hardest time anyone could imagine, and I just want them to be together. Imagine a three year old little boy and an 18 month old child witnessing that?” Breiter continued.

“And then, of course, their unborn sister, who survived in the NICU but unfortunately didn’t make it.”

Breiter said he’s reviewed horrific footage showing the crash, which remains under investigation by authorities.

He noted the driver’s age at that “at some point it times to take the keys away” from some people.

Which is exactly why I keep bringing it up.

Meanwhile, the crowdfunding page for her husband and sons has raised nearly $200,000 of the $210,000 goal.

Update 2: Cole-Graham’s husband has been identified as Matthew Graham, a writer for Sports Illustrated, who was also one of the founders of USA Today’s For The Win. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Regan Cole-Graham, her unborn baby, and all their family and loves ones. 

Thanks to Joe, Richard, Oren and Madeline for their help in piecing this together. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , , ,

Bike rider in his 40s killed by hit-and-run driver in Boyle Heights Thursday morning; 7th SoCal bike death this month

January 29, 2026 / / Comments Off on Bike rider in his 40s killed by hit-and-run driver in Boyle Heights Thursday morning; 7th SoCal bike death this month

Once again, someone riding a bicycle has been murdered by a hit-and-run driver.

And as usual, we know almost nothing about the crash.

Sources are reporting that the victim was struck while crossing the street at 7th Street and Boyle Ave in Boyle Heights around 5:20 this morning.

The victim, publicly identified only as a man in his 40s, died at the scene, after the driver left him to die alone in the street.

There’s no other information on how the crash occurred, including which street the victim was crossing. Given the circumstances, unless police find a witness or security cam video, that may be all we ever know.

There’s also no information about the driver or suspect vehicle at this time.

A street view shows the intersection is controlled by a traffic signal with crosswalks in each direction, though there doesn’t appear to be any bike infrastructure on either street.

There’s a posted 25 mph speed limit on 7th, while Google AI reports a 35 mph speed limit on Boyle. Although at that hour, it’s likely the driver was exceeding whatever the posted limit is.

Anyone with information is urged to contact LAPD’s Central Traffic Division.

This is the seventh bicycling fatality that I’m aware in of Southern California already this year, and the third in Los Angeles County; it’s also the first reported in the City of Los Angeles.

Hit-and-run drivers have been responsible for two of those SoCal deaths this year. Nineteen of the of the 55 reported bicycling deaths last year involved hit-and-run drivers.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones. 

Thanks to Danny for the heads-up. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

Update: Man riding an ebike killed, apparently by hitting a median in solo Long Beach crash

January 17, 2026 / / Comments Off on Update: Man riding an ebike killed, apparently by hitting a median in solo Long Beach crash

A man was apparently killed riding an ebike in Long Beach Friday night.

Apparently, because the victim was found lying unresponsive on the center median of Artesia Blvd.

And because it’s not clear what kind of electric bike he was riding, or how it happened.

According to My News LA, police responded to reports of an unconscious man in the median on Artesia Blvd near Indiana Ave around 9:40 pm.

Despite the efforts of paramedics, the victim, who was not publicly identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators speculated that he somehow lost control of his ebike while riding in the left lane and hit the median, and was thrown from his bike.

The belief that he was riding in the left lane and hit the curb with enough force to cause his death suggests he may have been riding an electric motorbike or dirt bike, rather than a bicycle.

However, it’s also possible that he was on a ped-assist bike, and may have been forced into the median by a motorist or hit a pothole.

With the limited information available, all we can do is speculate. Hopefully, we’ll learn more soon.

This is the third bicycling fatality that I’m aware in of Southern California this year, and the third in Los Angeles County.

Update: The victim was identified as Robert Neal, but no age or city of residence was given. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Robert Neal and his loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , ,
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