Tag Archive for Orange County

62-year old Garden Grove man killed by alleged DUI driver while riding bike in Fountain Valley early Tuesday

November 17, 2022 / / One comment

Yet another Southern California bike rider has fallen victim to a drunk or stoned driver.

Allegedly.

According to the Daily Pilot, 62-year old Garden Grove resident Phong Khuu was killed by a U-turning driver while crossing the street just north of Square Mile Park in Fountain Valley early Tuesday morning.

The driver, identified as 43-year old Scott McDonough of Fountain Valley, was traveling north on Los Coches Street around 4:30 am when he made a U-turn at Sunn Avenue, and slammed into Khuu as he was crossing Los Coches on his bicycle.

He died at the scene.

McDonough remained after the crash, and was arrested on suspicion of DUI causing injury, and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. At last report, he was being held on $100,000 bond pending yesterday’s arraignment.

Fountain Valley Police Chief Matt Sheppard reports the department makes an average of 15 to 20 DUI busts each month.

Which is about 15 to 20 too many.

Anyone with information is urged to call the traffic bureau of the Fountain Valley Police Department at 714/593-4481.

This is at least the 74th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 16th that I’m aware of in Orange County.

That’s one more than in 2020, which was the county’s worst year in recent memory.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Phong Khuu and all his family and loved ones. 

Thanks to bike lawyer Richard Duquette for the heads-up. 

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

Update: Man killed riding road bike in Newport Beach hit-and-run; 3rd fatal OC bike crash this month, and 15th this year

September 12, 2022 / / 12 comments

News broke late Sunday morning that a bike rider had been seriously injured by a hit-and-run driver in Newport Beach.

It was this evening before we learned that the victim didn’t survive.

Although as video from the scene makes clear, he never had a chance.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding on the 3000 block of Jamboree Road near Camelback Street when he was struck by a driver around 8:30 am.

The driver fled the scene following the crash.

Initial reports suggested that the victim had suffered major injuries, with a watch commander with the Newport Beach Police Department stated his condition was “not real good.”

As it turned out, that was quite an understatement.

Raw video from the scene shows the coroner arriving and removing the victim’s body from a tent alongside the road, making clear he had died at the scene, and was never even taken to a hospital.

A black road bike can be seen lying in the bike lane with a shattered rear wheel, suggesting that the victim had been run down from behind. Meanwhile, the police tent where his body had been secluded sat a couple dozen yards up the road, making it clear he had been hit with significant force.

The posted speed limit on the street is 55 mph, making the crash almost impossible to survive. There is simply no excuse for speeds that high on any surface streets.

Police were looking for a white sedan with a cracked windshield, no make or model given. However, the Orange County Register reports a driver has been detained for questioning, though it was unclear if they have been arrested.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Newport Beach Police Department at 949/644-3681, or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855/847-6227.

This is at least the 64th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 15th that I’m aware of in Orange County. That equals the county total for all of 2020, which had been the worst year in recent memory.

It’s also the third fatal bike crash in the county just this month.

Twenty-one of those SoCal deaths have been hit-and-runs.

Note: I’m not embedding the video, since it shows the victim being loaded into the coroner’s van, and his loved ones don’t need to see that.

Update: The Daily Pilot has identified the victim as 43-year old Costa Mesa resident Randon William Cintron. The paper reports a woman was taken into custody two miles away from the crash site; however, she has not been publicly identified. 

According to the website 2urbangirls, the alleged driver was found with her car on the 2100 block of Eastbluff Drive near Corona del Mar High School, where she was detained and arrested. 

Commenters to this story indicate the crash occurred on the uphill side of Jamboree Road, with no driveways or connecting roads that would justify merging into the separated bike lane. 

A crowdfunding campaign has met the $20,000 goal in just one day. 

Update 2: The driver has been identified as 36-year old Anaheim resident Adriana Rivera Bernal. She was reportedly high on an undisclosed drug at the time of the crash. 

Bernal reportedly has a history of drug abuse, petty theft, ID theft and auto theft, as well as multiple DUIs. She’s being held on $1 million bond on charges of murder and hit-and-run, and faced arraignment Tuesday on two previous Orange County arrests. 

Anyone with information is urged to call Newport Beach Police Investigator M. Keyworth at 949/644-3746.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Randon William Cintron and all his loved ones.

Thanks to Oceanside bike lawyer Richard Duquette, Mark Herda, Bill Sellin, Christian and an anonymous source for the heads-up.

 

 

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

Update: 72-year old Irvine Bicycle Club member killed riding bicycle in Laguna Hills collision; 15th OC bike death this year

September 10, 2022 / / 13 comments

A man was killed riding a bicycle in Laguna Hills Friday morning.

And that’s almost all we know right now.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was struck by a driver near Paseo De Valencia and Alicia Parkway around 10 am.

There’s no word on how the crash occurred, or whether the victim died at the scene or was transported to a hospital.

The driver apparently stopped after the crash, and was questioned by the police.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know at this time.

This is at least the 64th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 15th that I’m aware of in Orange County. That’s more than the county saw for the entire year in 2019 and 2021, and one less than 2020.

And it’s only September.

Update: Bill Sellin forwards a post from the Bicycle Club of Irvine, which identified the victim as 72-year old BCI member Jeff Rosenthal. 

Rosenthal was reportedly approaching Alicia Parkway in the westbound bike lane on Paseo de Valencia when he was rear-ended by a motorist, who has not been publicly identified. 

He leaves behind his wife of 41 years, as well as an adult son and daughter and their children.

I also received the following email from Ed Rubinstein, Orange County bike lawyer and a longtime friend of this site.

Thank you for your reporting, but I cannot let the rider who was killed remain anonymous. He was my best friend.

I do not have any information on how or why the crash happened, but I do know the wonderful human being whose life was snuffed out too soon.  His name was Jeff Rosenthal. He was 72 years old, retired, and he had just celebrated his 41st anniversary with his wife Barbara. Jeff, like me, originally was from Long Island, NY. He was an experienced cyclist who used to ride over 7000 miles per year until he reduced the frequency of his rides slightly as he recently got back into surfing.  He rode with the Bicycle Club of Irvine where we met about 10 years ago.  He was my best friend, the witness at my wedding and we rode together no less than weekly. Jeff had a quick wit and was always smiling. He was the friend you could always count on to help, but he never wanted to bother others. He was out riding Friday morning. He butt dialed me that morning. He told me he had a flat. and I offered to pick him up as it was hot outside. He said he was almost home, and would call me if he needed any help. I wish he had accepted my offer. I now suspect I was the last person with whom he talked to that day.  I am gutted and the world has lost someone precious.

Jeff (right without glasses) and myself in 2019 after riding a self-supported century

 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jeff Rosenthal and all his family loved ones.

Thanks to Bill Sellin and Ed Rubinstein for their help. 

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

8-year old boy taken off life support following Coto de Caza collision; 14th fatal OC bike crash this year

September 4, 2022 / / 8 comments

Ghost bikes come in children’s sizes, too.

We mentioned Friday that an eight-year old boy was seriously injured when he was struck by a pickup driver in Coto de Caza Thursday morning.

Now we’ve learned that the boy was taken off life support Saturday afternoon.

Eight-year old Bradley Rofer was walking his bicycle through a crosswalk on his way to school, with members of his family watching, when he was run down at 7:25 am.

He was rushed to Mission Hospital, where he underwent surgery.

Bradley was crossing Coto de Caza Drive at Oso Parkway when he was struck by the driver of an older Ford 150 pickup turning left from Oso onto Coto de Caza; it was his first day riding his bike to school.

This is how The Orange County Register described it.

It was supposed to be a fun day —  Bradley was going to ride his bike to school for the first time. He’d learned proper bike safety rules and would be wearing a helmet. His family would be watching and cheering him on. He was ready.

Eight-year-old Bradley Rofer was used to impressing people in his Coto de Caza neighborhood. Riding his bike solo, starting a business that raised money for children with cancer, reading a 300-page plus Harry Potter book at age 7 — those were normal things for the Wagon Wheel Elementary School student.

According to his mother, Bradley was doing everything right when he was hit, including wearing his bike helmet, which firefighters initially credited with preventing more serious injuries.

The driver, identified only as a 53-year old Tustin man, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. There’s no word on why he couldn’t see a boy walking his bike in a clearly marked crosswalk.

There was no crossing guard at the site when Bradley was struck, 20 minutes before children were expected at the school.

His mother broke the news on Facebook.

A crowdfunding campaign to assist with funeral costs and other expenses has raised over $23,000 of the $40,000 goal.

This is at least the 63rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 14th that I’m aware of in Orange County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Bradley Rofer and all his family and loved ones.

Thanks to William Sellin for the heads-up. 

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

Update: 69-year old man killed crashing his bike into parked truck in Irvine bike lane; 11th SoCal bike death this month

August 23, 2022 / / One comment

Someone please make it stop.

For the 11th time in 22 days, a person riding a bicycle has been killed on the mean streets of Southern California.

This time in Irvine.

According to My News LA, the victim was riding on Alton Parkway between Technology Drive and Mauchly when he ran into the back of a landscaping truck parked on the side of the road at 7:25 this morning.

The victim, identified only as a 69-year old man, died at the scene.

The location places the crash east of Technology Drive, where I’m told that the truck was parked in a marked bike lane.

California law prohibits parking in a bike lane, although it makes an exception for public or private utility trucks — but only if there are warning devices displayed on the truck.

There’s no mention of whether the truck had its flashers on, or displayed warning cones or some other safety warning behind the vehicle.

It’s not as unusual as it might seem to ram into the back of a parked vehicle. There have been several cases in recent years, both here and around the US, where riders appeared to be focused on the road directly in front of their wheel, rather than on the roadway ahead, and ran into an obstacle directly in front of them.

It’s also possible that a passing car could have blocked him from leaving the bike lane, and he might not have been able to stop in time. Or he could have suffered some sort of medical emergency.

Unfortunately, only the victim knows what really happened.

Anyone with information is urged to call Irvine Police Detective Robert Solis at 949/724-7024.

This is at least the 61st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 13th that I’m aware of in Orange County.

Update: The victim has been identified as 69-year old Lake Forest resident James Henry McKane. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for James Henry McKane and all his family and loved ones.

Thanks to Bill Sellin and Lois for the heads-up.

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

Update: 67-year old grandfather killed riding bike in Fullerton hit-and-run; 19th SoCal bike rider killed by hit-and-run drivers this year

August 19, 2022 / / Comments Off on Update: 67-year old grandfather killed riding bike in Fullerton hit-and-run; 19th SoCal bike rider killed by hit-and-run drivers this year

Yet another heartless coward has left an innocent victim to die in the street.

Just because the victim was riding his bike to work, like he did every morning.

According to a press release from the Fullerton Police Department, a 67-year old man was riding his bike west on Chapman Ave approaching Ladera Vista Dr  when he was rear-ended by an unknown driver around 5:07 Thursday morning.

He was thrown into a planter on the north side of the street, suffering significant injuries; his bicycle was found a short distance away.

He was taken to a local trauma center, where he was pronounced dead. Family members identified the victim as Elfego Andrade.

A witness followed a green 1999 Ford F-250 pickup that was missing a tire and traveling on the rim, though it wasn’t clear if the driver was responsible for the hit-and-run.

He abandoned his truck nearly four miles away near Delphine Place and Jacaranda Place, and fled on foot. He is described as a Hispanic man approximately 5’8” tall, with a stocky build and wearing all black clothing.

Andrade was described as a great-grandfather, who had just celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary. He was riding his bike to his job in Fullerton when he was killed.

KNBC-4 reports he and his wife were planning to retire to Mexico, which will now never happen, thanks to a killer driver.

A crowdfunding page described him like this.

“He was a very happy man with the most humble heart. He was hard working and always did what he could for his family,” the fundraising page read. “We are heart broken for our believed husband, father, grandfather, father in law to leave us too soon.”

At the time of this writing, the crowdfunding campaign to help defray funeral expenses has raised just over $900 of the $15,000 goal.

Anyone with information is urged to call Fullerton Police Accident Investigator J. Manes at 714/738-6812 or email joshua.manes@fullertonpd.org.

This is at least the 59th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the twelfth that I’m aware of in Orange County.

Nineteen of those deaths have been hit-and-runs.

Update: The driver was arrested at the Fullerton police station late Thursday afternoon. 

Twenty-one-year old Anaheim resident Jonathan Ocampo was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run. He was being held on a half-million dollar bond. 

There’s no word on whether Ocampo was in fact driving the F-250 pickup followed by the witness. 

It’s possible that Ocampo did the right thing, heeding calls to turn himself in. Or he may have simply given himself enough time to sober up before taking responsibility for his actions. 

My deepest prayers and sympathy for Elfego Andrade and all his loved ones.

Thanks to Lois for the heads-up.

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

42-year old man killed riding ebike against traffic in Huntington Beach, 70-year old driver arrested for DUI

August 11, 2022 / / Comments Off on 42-year old man killed riding ebike against traffic in Huntington Beach, 70-year old driver arrested for DUI

Once again, Southern California’s killer highway has claimed a life.

But this time, the victim was at least partly at fault for riding salmon — even though he was struck by an allegedly stoned driver.

According to the Daily Pilot, 42-year old Huntington Beach resident Timothy John Briley was killed when he was struck by a driver while riding an ebike against traffic in Huntington Beach Tuesday evening.

Briley was reportedly riding north in the southbound lanes on Pacific Coast Highway, just north of Admiralty Drive, around 6 pm when he was struck head-on by an SUV driven by 70-year old Barbara Front of Huntington Beach.

He was taken to a local hospital, where he died 40 minutes later.

Front remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators; she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence at 7:40 pm.

There are no bike lanes or other bike infrastructure on PCH north of Admiralty, and no word on whether Briley was riding in the parking lane or traffic lanes.

There’s also no word on why he was riding against traffic, although some people mistakenly believe they’re safer facing oncoming traffic. However, the reality is just the opposite.

Anyone with information is urged to call Huntington Beach traffic investigator Jeremy Rounds at 714/536-5670.

This is at least the 55th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 11th that I’m aware of in Orange County.

My deepest prayers and sympathy for Timothy John Briley and all his loved ones.

Thanks to Bill Sellin for the heads-up. 

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

53-year old La Habra man riding bike killed in Sunday hit-and-run; teenaged boy and father arrested next day

August 9, 2022 / / Comments Off on 53-year old La Habra man riding bike killed in Sunday hit-and-run; teenaged boy and father arrested next day

Three crashes. Three deaths. Three counties. Two hit-and-runs.

All in less than 20 hours.

A horrible weekend for the bicycling community continued with the second of three innocent victims, who died just because they rode their bicycles on Southern California streets.

According to the La Habra police department, a male bicyclist was found lying in the roadway in the 500 block of West La Habra Boulevard around 4:43 pm Sunday.

The victim, identified only as a 53-year old La Habra resident, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.

He died sometime later.

Police described the suspect vehicle as an extended cab Chevrolet Silverado pickup, white with stock rims and a construction rack in the truck bed, with damage to the center grill, hood and driver’s side headlight.

A father and his teenaged son were arrested Monday afternoon after public tips led police to the truck on 300 block of East Second Ave in La Habra.

The 17-year old La Habra boy was booked on charges of felony hit-and-run and possession of a stolen vehicle, while his father, 35-year old La Habra resident Mario Popsuc, was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, and aiding and abetting in the collision.

Anyone with information is urged to call La Habra police at 562/383-4305.

This is at least the 53rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the tenth that I’m aware of in Orange County.

Eighteen of those deaths have been hit-and-runs.

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

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

Breaking news: 78-year old man killed riding bike in Mission Viejo crash, no details available

August 2, 2022 / / One comment

News broke late this afternoon that an elderly man was killed riding his bike in Mission Viejo Tuesday morning.

According to Mission Viejo Patch, the victim, identified only as a 78-year old man, was killed in some sort of crash around 8 am Tuesday, near Los Alisos Boulevard and Entidad.

There’s no word on how the crash occurred, or even if there was another vehicle, let alone a driver, involved.

Hopefully, we’ll get more information soon.

This is at least the 51st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the ninth that I’m aware of in Orange County.

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

Thanks to Victor Bale for the heads-up.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , ,

73-year old man killed in Fountain Valley left cross collision; Southern California on pace for nearly 100 bike deaths this year

July 5, 2022 / / 4 comments

Once again, a driver has proven that paint is no protection.

Whether it’s a bike lane. Or in this case, a crosswalk.

According to the Daily Pilot, a man died after he was struck by a driver while riding his bike in Fountain Valley.

The victim, identified as 73-year old Fountain Valley resident Dac Them Kieu, was riding his bike in the crosswalk on Garfield Ave at Brookhurst Street, on the border with Huntington Beach, when he was hit by the driver of a massive Ford pickup around 6:57 am.

Dac was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died of his injuries.

The Orange County Register reports the 65-year old driver was turning left off eastbound Garfield when he crashed into Dac, who was riding east in the crosswalk, which would put him on the westbound side of the street.

The fact that Dac was in the crosswalk suggests he had been riding on the sidewalk. That means he wouldn’t have been riding against traffic, since both the sidewalk and crosswalk are bidirectional.

Although drivers don’t always look for anyone coming from the opposite direction, even though they should.

The driver remained at the scene. Police do not believe intoxication played a role in the crash.

Anyone with information is urged to call the traffic bureau of the Fountain Valley Police Department at 714/593-4481, reference incident #22-22611.

This is at least the 48th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth that I’m aware of in Orange County.

That puts us on track for nearly 100 SoCal bicycling deaths this year.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Dac Them Kieu and all his loved ones.

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