A Simi Valley man was killed after running a stop sign on his bicycle.
Allegedly.
According to the Ventura County Star, 55-year old Michael Sorensen was riding south on Quimisa Drive in Simi Valley at 1 pm Tuesday, when he tried to make a left turn onto West Los Angeles Ave, reportedly running the stop sign in the process.
Sorensen was struck by a driver traveling west on Los Angeles. He died at the scene.
The T-shaped intersection doesn’t have a stop sign on Los Angeles, which has a 50 mph speed limit. A bend in the road could have hidden the car from Sorensen’s view until it was too late, especially if the driver was exceeding the speed limit by even a few miles.
The driver remained on scene and cooperated with police, and did not appear to be impaired.
Whether Sorensen actually ran the stop sign depends on whether there were any independent witnesses aside from the driver who may have seen whether he stopped, particularly since the driver’s view of Sorensen could have been obstructed by the bend in the road.
Anyone with information is urged to call Simi Valley Police Officer Bryan Sarfaty at 805/583-6189, or email bsarfaty@simivalley.org.
This is at least the 11th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first that I’m aware of in Ventura County.
However, it’s the second bicycling death in Simi Valley in three months.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Michael Sorensen and all his loved ones.
