It’s been a bad few weeks for Southern California bike riders.
And it doesn’t show any sign of ending anytime soon.
The latest proof comes from Coachella, where man on a bike was killed in a drunken hit-and-run early Sunday morning.
Or to put it another way, just after the bars closed Saturday night.
According to the Desert Sun, 34-year old Coachella resident Raul Gulliver was riding his bike north on Grapefruit Boulevard near Mitchell Drive around 2:15 this morning when he was hit head-on by a pickup driven by 32-year old Hector Polanco, also of Coachella.
Gulliver died at the scene.
A street view shows Grapefruit is a four lane divided roadway, which means either he was riding salmon, or Polanco was driving on the wrong side of the center divider.
Polanco was arrested on suspicion of DUI, and being held on $50,000 bond.
Anyone with any information is urged to call the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department at 760/863-8990.
This is at least the 23rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth I’m aware of in Riverside County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Raul Gulliver and his loved ones.
