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.
We may have a lot of things to be thankful for this year. But safe streets clearly isn’t one of them.
That was driven home once again yesterday afternoon, when a man was killed by an elderly driver while riding his bike in Fountain Valley.
According to News Santa Ana, the victim was riding east on Ellis Ave at Magnolia Street when he was left-crossed by an 84-year old woman turning onto Magnolia from westbound Ellis around 3:33 pm.
The victim was identified as 68-year old Fountain Valley resident Charlie Chen. He died after being taken to a nearby hospital.
The driver, identified as Huntington Beach resident Barbara Peters, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
Police say she did not appear to be under the influence. However, there’s no way to know if age played a factor.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Fountain Valley Police Department’s Traffic Bureau at 714/593-4481, incident #23-40091.
This is at least the 65th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth that I’m aware of in Orange County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Charlie Chen and all his loved one.
October 20, 2023 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on 73-year old man killed by driver while riding bike in Orange crosswalk; 9th SoCal bike rider killed in less than 2 weeks
This has got to stop.
For at least the ninth time in the past 13 days, someone has been killed riding a bicycle on the mean streets of Southern California.
According to New Santa Ana, the victim this time was a 73-year old man from Orange, killed while just trying to ride his bike across the street.
The driver, a woman from Orange, remained at the scene — which should be a given, but isn’t. Police don’t believe she was under the influence.
There’s no word on who had the right of way at the signalized intersection.
Canyon View has a 40 mph speed limit; a pedestrian struck at that speed has just a 15% survival rate. And that’s assuming she wasn’t traveling above the speed limit, like most drivers in Southern California.
Anyone with information is urged to call Orange Police Department Traffic Unit Detective A. Rocha at 714/744-7342.
This is at least the 44th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in Orange County.
And hopefully, the last one we’ll see in this tragic streak.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all his loved ones.
He was taken to a local hospital with critical injuries, where he was pronounced dead.
The victim’s dog, described as a small terrier, was taken to a veterinary hospital with minor injuries, and is expected to recover. Although who will care for it now is unclear.
The driver stopped at the scene, and was not suspected of being under in the influence.
There’s no word at this time on how the crash occurred, or the identity of the victim.
According to a statement from the Laguna Beach Police Department, “We send our deepest prayers and condolences to the deceased male’s family and hope they find strength through this unfortunate event,” said Laguna Beach Police Captain Mike Peters.
Amen.
This is at least the 38th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in Orange County.
My deepest prayers and sympathy for the victim and his loved ones.
Thanks to Bill Sellin and Jeffrey Rusk for the heads-up.
A Huntington Beach bike rider has been killed after a rampaging driver appeared to intentionally target three people riding bicycles in less than an hour Sunday night.
That was followed half an hour later as a second man suffered minor injuries when he reported being deliberately sideswiped by a hit-and-run driver just a few blocks away on Edwards Street at Brad Drive.
Then as police were investigating that crash, a third victim who had been riding a bicycle was found lying in the street less than a mile away near Heil Avenue and Springdale Street around 10:45 pm, suffering from major injuries.
At this time, none of the victims have been identified.
Huntington Beach police investigators believe the same driver was responsible for all three crashes, in a single night of vehicular mayhem.
Witnesses describe the vehicle as appearing to be a black Toyota four-door sedan, which suffered significant damage to the front bumper on the passenger side.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Huntington Beach Police Department’s WeTip hotline at 714/375-5066; anonymous tips can be submitted to OC Crime Stoppers at 855/TIP-OCCS (855/847-6227).
This is at least the 35th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and fifth that I’m aware of in Orange County.
Update: KTLA-5 talks with another bike rider, who says he was also chased by a driver who tried to strike him on Sunday night. He had to ride between two cars to escape.
A neighbor who witnessed the fatal crash says the driver never slowed down after hitting the victim, and that the car may have been a Volvo rather than Toyota. So look for a black sedan with major damage to the right front.
They also report Huntington Beach police are struggling to identify the man who was killed.
Which is yet another reminder to always carry some form of ID with you. And preferably something that won’t be stolen if you become incapacitated, like a RoadID or some other form of wearable identification.
Update 2: Now two lives could be effectively ended.
There’s no word on possible charges, but it’s likely the kid will face at least one felony murder count, as well as charges of assault with a deadly weapon. If he’s tried as a juvenile, he could be held until he turns 21; if the Orange County DA charges him as an adult, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Or worse.
The victim has been identified as 70-year old Huntington Beach resident Steven Gonzales.
No motive has been announced for the attacks, but it could have been a copycat of the East Bay Area attacks from earlier this year, in which young people in stolen cars attempted to door or strike people riding bicycles or e-scooters.
This news from this past weekend just keeps getting worse.
Longtime Orange County bike advocate Bill Sellin has forwarded news that a woman was killed while riding her bike in Lake Forest Sunday morning, apparently the victim of an out-of-control driver.
While the initial reports appeared on Nextdoor, which is not always the most reliable source, the Orange County Sheriff’s department confirms a crash occurred just before 8 am on El Toro Road at Normandale Drive.
Sellin confirmed with Lake Forest officials that the victim of the crash was killed.
Meanwhile, a woman identifying herself as the victim’s daughter reports that the crash occurred when a driver apparently lost control, jumping a curb and hitting a light pole on one side of the street, then ricocheting across the street to hit the victim before crashing into another light pole on the opposite side of the street.
All of which implies the driver may have been traveling at an extreme rate of speed, even given the irrational 55 mph speed limit on the roadway.
Photos from the scene taken from Nextdoor show the mangled bike resting on the sidewalk in front of the smashed pickup; Sellin reports the location of the victim’s body was marked in front of her bike.
There’s no word on the victim’s name or age, though we can surmise her last name from her daughter’s post.
A person identifying themselves as her neighbor reports the victim was a mother of three.
There has been nothing in the news yet, and no official confirmation from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which patrols Lake Forest, or the Coroner’s office; unfortunately, the OC Coroner no longer posts death notices online.
This is at least the 19th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in Orange County.
Update: The victim’s daughter has identified her as Sara Wheaton; sadly, she turned 49 the day she died.
According to the daughter, Wheaton’s body was thrown 20 feet from her bike by the force of the impact. And neighbors who heard the crash don’t recall the sound of braking.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Sara Wheaton and all her family and loved ones.
Thanks to Bill Sellin for doing all the legwork and tracking down the information for this story.
