The driver fled the scene, but police arrested 68-year old Elias Madriz Gutierrez shortly later. He was booked on suspicion of hit-and-run and driving under the influence causing great bodily injury, along with second-degree murder.
According to My News LA, Gutierrez was convicted of DUI twice before, in January 2009 and April 2018. Which means he would have been required to sign a Watson advisement, stating he could be charged with murder if he killed someone while driving under the influence any time in the future.
As a result, he could be looking at 15-to-life for the murder charge alone, as opposed to up to six years for vehicular manslaughter.
This is at least the 42nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 10th that I’m aware of in Orange County.
Fifteen of those SoCal deaths have now been hit-and-runs.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Kristin Bellovich and her loved ones.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, was pronounced dead at the scene, despite the efforts of paramedics.
For once, the driver stuck around afterwards. Westminster police said drugs or alcohol didn’t appear to play a role in the crash.
There’s no word on how the crash occurred, or who may have been at fault. Except that anyone who can still ride a bicycle at that age deserved better.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Westminster Police watch commander at 714/548-3767.
This is at least the 38th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and ninth that I’m aware of in Orange County — a rate of one every month.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
Too often when someone is injured while riding a bicycle, we never hear any more about it.
This time we did. But the news wasn’t good.
According to multiple, virtually identicalnews reports, 61-year old Scott Andrew Morris died three weeks to the day after suffering a head injury in an Irvine collision earlier this month.
Morris was riding his beach cruiser north on MacArthur Blvd, in the onramp to the 405 Freeway, around 1:20 pm on Thursday, August 1st, when police say he suddenly turned to the left, crashing his bike into the passenger door and mirror of a massive Chevy Suburban SUV.
He fell to the ground, striking his head, and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died on Thursday.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
Morris was not wearing a helmet. Which is worth noting this time, since he apparently died of a head injury; however, we don’t know how fast the SUV was going, or whether the crash would have been survivable with or without one.
Although another possible explanation for how the collision unfolded is that Morris was forced to ride across a dangerous slip lane designed for high speeds, with no bike infrastructure or safety accommodations of any kind. And was sideswiped by the driver, who either didn’t see him or was trying to get around his bike as Morris tried to make his way across.
Something that could be supported by damage to the Suburban’s passenger-side mirror, which would have likely hit Morris first if the driver struck him, rather than the other way around.
The question is whether there were independent witnesses to the crash, or any video evidence, or if investigators simply took the driver’s word for it, since Morris may have been unable to give his version of events.
Anyone with information is urged to call Irvine Police detectives at 949/724-7024.
This is at least the 34th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth that I’m aware of in Orange County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Scott Andrew Morris and all his loved ones.
July 18, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on OC’s San Juan Creek bike-ped path closed for construction work, and Burbank marks 20 years of Chandler Bike Path
Just 166 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
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A few people have already volunteered to write guest posts to help keep this site from going dark when I’m out next month following my shoulder surgery.
So if you’re interested in filling in here for a few days, or joining them in submitting a guest post or two, just email me at the address on the About page above.
Here’s a press release they sent out yesterday announcing the closure. Although a little advance notice would have been nice.
San Juan Creek Bike/Pedestrian Trail to Temporarily Close as Part of Railroad Bridge Construction
The San Juan Creek Trail is scheduled to close Thursday, July 18 to Friday, Aug. 2, with intermittent closures through August; detour maps will be posted
ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority, in coordination with Metrolink, continues progress in constructing a new railroad bridge over San Juan Creek in San Juan Capistrano. As part of the ongoing construction, the adjacent San Juan Creek Trail is expected to close for approximately two weeks beginning on Thursday, July 18.
Cyclists and pedestrians who use the trail are being asked to plan for the closure, follow the designated detour route or avoid the area during the closure, if possible.
During the closure, trail users will be detoured to Camino Capistrano, Del Obispo Street and the Trabuco Creek Trail. Detour signs will be in place. (See the map below for more details.)
The detour is necessary so that construction crews can remove pavement and conduct pile driving to construct the new bridge that will go over the trail. The trail is expected to reopen on Friday, Aug. 2.
However, after the scheduled closure, contractors are expected to continue working in the area, prompting intermittent trail closures through August. During that time, workers will be present to hold back trail traffic for their safety as construction equipment is moved through the area.
OCTA appreciates the patience of trail users during this construction.
The work is being completed in partnership with Metrolink as part of a $65.6 million project to replace the existing San Juan Creek bridge, which was constructed in 1917, enhancing safety and reducing maintenance costs.
The project is being funded by Measure M, the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, and a mix of state and federal funds.
But what do you mean they didn’t name it after Chandler Bing from Friends, which was filmed at nearby Warner Brothers Studios?
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Caltrans is hosting a pair of virtual meetings today to discuss how to improve safety on the killer highway that passes for Malibu’s main street. So if you ride, walk or drive on PCH, you owe it to yourself to join in to protect your own safety.
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People for Mobility Justice is leading a ride on Saturday to check out the coming the Slauson Ave bike/ped path.
Join us this Saturday!! People for Mobility Justice is leading a community ride through #SouthCentralLA to showcase amazing green spaces and the Slauson Ave bike/ped path under construction. Come through for a family-friendly ride full of good vibes! @GoHumanSoCalpic.twitter.com/rSxLI31xfp
— People for Mobility Justice (@peopleforMJ) July 17, 2024
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Police in the UK have forwarded a case for prosecution after a driver’s “ridiculously close pass” of a bicyclist that was caught on video; unlike most, if not all, of the US, video recordings are acceptable evidence for traffic violations and misdemeanors there.
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Maybe it was just a brief PR stunt, but nice to see Deadpool & Wolverine stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and Emma Corrin arrive on bikes for a Berlin media event.
Helmet use appears to be declining in Utah, despite an increase in bike riders getting hit by drivers; only 1.45% of bicyclists involved in crashes in the state last year were wearing helmets, down from 11.31% just five years ago.
A man in the UK was sentenced to life behind bars for murdering a woman by pushing her down a flight of stairs in a fight over a kid’s bike. Yet another reminder that no bicycle is worth a human life. Or life behind bars.
For over a week now, we’ve followed the story of the Garden Grove family who were run down by an allegedly drunken hit-and-run driver as the parents rode their bikes, towing their children behind in child trailers.
The crash left the father and two of the kids critically injured, while the mother and their eight-month old baby were hospitalized in stable condition, and released a few days later.
The crash occurred shortly after 7:30 pm on Sunday, July 7th, on the 12300 block of Haster Street near Twin Tree Lane, when they were apparently run down from behind by Santa Ana resident Ceferino Ascencion Ramos.
Ramos fled the scene, but was arrested shortly later after he was followed by a witness to the crash.
He reportedly had a .22 blood alcohol level at the time of his arrest — nearly three times the .08 legal limit. The station reports he was on his way to buy more beer at an Anaheim liquor store when he slammed into the family.
He has been charged with felony counts of hit-and-run with permanent and serious injury, failing to stop at a hit-and-run accident with injury, and driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, with sentencing enhancements for leaving a victim comatose or paralyzed and inflicting great bodily injury.
More charges will be pending now, including a likely murder charge if Ramos has a previous DUI on his record.
It’s also possible that the news could get worse.
The story reports that Jacob’s father, 27-year old Angel Hernandez Mejia and his seven-year old sister remain in comas over a week after the crash.
A crowdfunding campaign for the family has raised over $64,000 of the $100,000 goal, though it’s likely they’ll need a lot more than that before this is over.
This is at least the 29th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in Orange County.
It’s also worth noting that reports have indicated none of the family members were wearing bike helmets, which are legally required for children under 18.
However, there’s no way to know whether that would have been enough to prevent their injuries in this collision.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jacob Ramirez and all his family and loved ones.
However, there’s no explanation of whether he was visiting Orange County, or was living here now.
There’s also no word on what was meant by “riding in the traffic lanes.” He would have been in the traffic lanes if he was crossing Beach Blvd. Or if he was riding on Beach, there’s no other place he could have been, since there are no bike or parking lanes.
And there’s no word on how fast the driver was going, or whether the victim had lights on his bike in the pre-dawn darkness.
Hopefully, we’ll get more answers soon. But I wouldn’t count on it.
Anyone with information is urged to call Westminster Police Department Traffic Division Investigator Stewart DeJong at 714/548-3787.
This is at least the 25th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in Orange County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all his loved ones.
April 27, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Man riding bicycle killed in Fullerton collision Thursday night; 4th Orange County bike death already this year
A bad week for Southern California bike riders got worse Thursday night, when a man riding a bicycle was killed in a collision in Fullerton.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding “in an unknown direction” in the leftmost lane on eastbound Orangethorpe when he was struck by the 19-year old driver traveling “at an unknown speed.” He died at the scene.
The driver remained at the site following the crash, and police don’t believe he was under the influence at the time of the collision.
The awkward phasing that the victim was riding “in an unknown direction” suggests he could have been riding against traffic, or illegally riding with traffic in the left lane. However, it could also mean that he was simply attempting to cross the street when he was run down.
It also implies that the driver didn’t see the victim prior to impact, or he would have seen which way he was going.
Anyone with information is urged to call Fullerton Police Traffic Accident Investigator Manes at 714/738-6815, or email jmanes@fullertonpd.org.
This is at least the 15th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in Orange County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
March 8, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on 18-year old boy killed by driver while riding in Huntington Beach bike lane
A thin stripe of white paint apparently wasn’t enough to protect an Orange County teenager Thursday morning.
According to the Daily Pilot, 18-year old Huntington Beach resident David Mario Garcia Olmos was riding his bike in the westbound bike lane on Talbert Ave, just west of Bell Circle, around 6:15 am when he was struck by a driver traveling in the same direction
He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died later Thursday morning.
The driver, identified only as a 25-year old Fullerton man, remained at the scene. Investigators say he did not appear to be under the influence.
There’s no word at this time whether Olmos was struck from behind, or right hooked as the driver turned into the nearby parking lot. Either way, the limited protection offered by the painted bike lane failed to keep him safe.
March 2, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Woman killed riding ebike in Westminster collision, no details on the cause
You knew it wouldn’t last.
We made it nearly two weeks since we’ve had had a bicycling death in Southern California.
Key word being “nearly.”
That ended on Thursday evening in Westminster, when a woman riding an ebike was killed in a collision.
According to the Orange County Tribune, the victim, identified only as an Asian woman in her 60s, was riding on Bolsa Ave just west of Brookhurst Street when she was struck by a driver around 5:59 pm.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver remained after the crash, and reportedly cooperated with investigators.
Unfortunately, that’s all we know at this time.
Anyone with information is urged to call the watch commander of the Westminster Police Department at 714/548-3767.
This is at least the sixth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second that I’m aware of in Orange County.
Although there have probably been others we haven’t learned about.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and their loved ones.
The detour is necessary so that construction crews can remove pavement and conduct pile driving to construct the new bridge that will go over the trail. The trail is expected to reopen on Friday, Aug. 2.
