Sometimes, there’s just no obvious explanation.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports the CHP received a 911 call saying a bicyclist was riding on the northbound I-15 freeway south of West Bernardo Drive/Pomerado Road around 4:25 am.
Fourteen minutes later, they got another call, before officers could arrive, saying in effect there was no need to hurry.
The victim, who was not carrying identification, was hit by a vehicle while riding in the #2 lane. A satellite photo indicates that would seem to be the far right lane of the four-lane freeway, since the left two lanes appear to be Express Lanes.
That’s assuming he was past the northbound offramp; if it happened further south, it would place him in the fourth lane from the right out of five lanes.
San Diego 7 indicated the driver of a white pickup stopped at the side of the road for about 10 minutes before driving off. Police are looking for a white GMC pickup based on debris found at the scene.
The victim appears to have been struck by multiple vehicles following the initial impact; none of the other drivers seem to have stopped, either. A CHP spokesperson said they don’t know how many times he might have been hit or run over.
Under those circumstances, the victim may be very difficult to identify, for obvious reasons.
There was no word on whether he was using lights at the early morning hour. And no apparent explanation for why he was riding in a traffic lane on a high-speed freeway, rather than on the shoulder.
Bikes are allowed on the shoulder of the 15 freeway a little further north, according to the U-T. But never in the traffic lane.
This is the 41st bicycling fatality in Southern California and the eighth in San Diego County; that compares with 61 in SoCal and six in the county this time last year.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
