An Oxnard man was killed while riding his bike in a crash early Sunday morning.
And no one seems to know what happened.
According to multiple sources, the victim, identified only as a 49-year old Oxnard resident, was struck by a driver around 4:30 this morning on the 2400 block of Statham Blvd in Oxnard.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, identified as a 43-year old man from Oxnard, was traveling north on Statham. However, police aren’t sure which direction the victim was riding.
Let alone how or why the driver struck him.
There’s no word on whether excess speed, drugs or alcohol played a role. Or whether the victim had lights and reflectors on his bike nearly two hours before sunrise.
A street view shows an unobstructed two lane road, with a 35 mph speed limit. The Ventura County Star describes it as an industrial area between Oxnard and Channel Islands Boulevards, which would likely have been dark and empty in that early morning hour.
Anyone with information is urged to call Oxnard PD Officer Michael Wood at 805/385-7750 or email micheal.wood@oxnardpd.org.
This is at least the 17th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first that I’m aware of in Ventura County.
Update: The victim has been identified as 49-year old Michael Nunziato, an Illinois resident living in Oxnard.
Unfortunately, there’s still no explanation of how the crash occurred, or why.
Police are looking for the driver of a second vehicle that was in the area around the time of the crash, and ask him or her to come forward with any information.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Michael Nunziato and all his loved ones.
