News is just coming in that a bike rider has been killed in a collision in Pearblossom, near Lancaster in north LA County.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the victim, identified only as a woman, was struck by a vehicle at 7:42 pm Saturday at the intersection of Longview and Le Page Ranch Roads. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
No other details are available at this time.
A street view shows a narrow, two-lane highway with dirt shoulders intersected on one side by a dirt road.
This is the 70th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 26th in Los Angeles County. That compares to 69 in SoCal this time last year, and 29 in LA County.
Update: My News LA places the collision site one-half mile from the Devil’s Punchbowl in the Angeles National Forest.
Update 2: The Antelope Valley Times identifies the victim as Karla A. Thiel, a transient living in Littlerock.
According to the paper, Thiel was positioned two feet inside the white line. However, she was wearing dark clothes and riding without lights or reflectors; the driver reportedly never saw her before hitting her from behind at 45 mph.
Although someone should tell the CHP spokesman that in a collision at that speed, whether or not she was wearing a helmet is pretty irrelevant.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Karla Thiel and her loved ones.
