Tag Archive for Riverside County

72-year-old Patrick Petre dies following Palm Desert crash — just 5 miles from another fatal bike crash a day earlier

January 4, 2025 / / 2 comments

It only took three days into the new year for the second person to be killed riding a bicycle in Southern California.

And both in the Coachella Valley.

New Channel 3 in Palm Springs reports that 72-year-old Patrick Petre died on Friday, one day after he was struck by a driver in Palm Desert.

The crash occurred around 6:30 am Thursday at Fred Waring Drive and San Pablo Ave, just five miles from where another man was killed riding a bike in Rancho Mirage a little more than 20 hours earlier.

That victim has not yet been publicly identified.

In both cases the driver remained at the scene. And just like the earlier case, there’s no word on how the crash that killed Petre occurred, or who was at fault.

Hopefully we’ll learn more soon.

Petre is the second bicyclist killed in Southern California this year, and the second in Riverside County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Patrick Petre and his loved ones. 

Thanks to Jeff Rusk for the heads-up. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Update: Man riding a bicycle killed in New Year’s Day Rancho Mirage crash; first SoCal bicycling death this year

January 1, 2025 / / No comments

Well, that didn’t take long.

Just over ten hours into the new year, we’ve already seen the first person killed riding a bicycle in Southern California this year.

News Channel 3 is reporting that the victim was killed when he was struck by a motorist shortly after 10 am Wednesday near Highway 111 and Frank Sinatra Drive in Rancho Mirage.

The victim, identified only as a man, died at the scene.

The driver remained after the crash.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know right now. No word on how the crash occurred, or who might have been at fault. Hopefully, we’ll learn more soon.

This is the first bicycling fatality I’m aware of in Southern California this year, as well as the first in Riverside County.

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

Update: A press release from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department says deputies were dispatched to the crash scene at 10:11 am. 

According to the press release, the driver of the SUV cooperated with investigators, and there was no indication that drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash. 

Anyone with information is urged to contact Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Thomas of the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at 760/836–1600.

 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , ,

Bicyclist allegedly murdered by Hemet driver yesterday in intentional collision; no known motive at this time

November 13, 2024 / / 8 comments

Go ahead and call it murder.

The cops are.

The Redlands Daily Facts is reporting that Jimarvin Marquise Lackey-Berg was arrested following what Hemet police are terming an intentional collision with a man riding a bicycle yesterday.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was found unresponsive on 3800 block of West Devonshire Ave, west of Sanderson Avenue, in Hemet around 5:30 Tuesday evening.

He was pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital.

At last report, Lackey-Berg was being held on $1 million bail at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in French Valley for suspicion of murder.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know right now. There’s no word on how or why the crash occurred, any possible motive, or whether the driver was arrested at the scene.

Anyone with information its urged to call Detective Pedro Aguila of the Hemet Police Department at 951/765-2423.

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

Note: There is also a story about this incident on the websites of the Riverside Press-Enterprise, the San Bernardino Sun and Ontario’s Daily Bulletin, but it is hidden behind their draconian paywalls. If you have a subscription to any of those papers, let me know if there’s any additional information we haven’t included here. 

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

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

Bike rider killed by hit-and-run driver in Riverside Saturday; 16th SoCal bicyclist killed in hit-and-run this year

October 27, 2024 / / One comment

Once again, someone riding a bicycle in Southern California has run down by a heartless coward, and left to die in the street.

This time in Riverside.

According to My News LA, the victim was struck while riding on Streeter Ave just north of Lantana Street around 7:55 pm Saturday.

The bike rider, who has not been publicly identified, died at the scene.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know right now. There’s no word on how the crash happened, or any description of the suspect vehicle or the person responsible.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Riverside Police Department at 951/826-8720, or email RMcHugh@RiversideCA.gov.

This is at least the 44th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in Riverside County; however, it appears the first one in the county since early May.

Sixteen of those SoCal deaths have been hit-and-runs.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and their loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

31-year old Palm Springs woman riding bike killed in Cathedral City hit-and-run; 8th fatal SoCal biking hit-and-run in 2024

May 9, 2024 / / 2 comments

Once again, someone riding a bicycle in Southern California has been left to die in the street by a heartless hit-and-run driver.

This time Wednesday night in Cathedral City.

According to multiple sources, the victim, identified only as a 31-year old woman, was struck by a driver at Ramon Road and Landau Blvd around 11:10 pm.

First responders found her lying unresponsive in the street suffering from severe injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver fled before police arrived.

There’s no description of the suspect vehicle or the person driving, and no word on how the crash occurred.

There is a bike lane on Landau, but the southbound side disappears near the intersection with Ramon, where it’s most needed.

Anyone with information is urged to call Cathedral City Police Traffic Investigator A. Felix at 760/770-0343 or the Cathedral City Police Department at 760/770-0300.

This is at least the 18th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and already the fifth that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

This was also the eighth SoCal bike rider killed by hit-and-run drivers this year.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and her loved ones.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Update: 32-year old Jaime Gutierrez killed in collision while riding a bicycle in Good Hope collision

April 6, 2024 / / Comments Off on Update: 32-year old Jaime Gutierrez killed in collision while riding a bicycle in Good Hope collision

Good Hope wasn’t good or hopeful for someone riding a bicycle Saturday evening.

According to My News LA, the victim was struck by a driver around 5:14 pm on state Highway 74 at Taylor Road, in the unincorporated section of Riverside County.

Actually, the story said the victim was struck by Tacoma Pickup, as if the driver had nothing to do with it.

A witness reported the victim, who has not been publicly identified, was lying on the dirt along the right-hand shoulder of the highway. They died at the scene.

The driver stopped and remained following the crash.

There’s no word on the victim’s age or sex at this time. There’s also no information on how the crash happened, or who may have been at fault. Or even which direction they were traveling.

This is at least the 12th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of already this year in Riverside County.

Update: This victim has been identified as 32-year old Perris resident Jaime Gutierrez. No details available.

Update 2: A crowdfunding campaign to help pay for his funeral has raised a little over $3,700 of the $30,000 goal. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jaime Gutierrez and all his loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

62-year old man dies after he’s struck by a driver while bicycling in Palm Desert Tuesday night

March 14, 2024 / / 2 comments

Sadly, he didn’t make it.

Wednesday’s post included a brief mention of a bike rider who suffered major injuries when he was struck by a driver in Palm Desert Tuesday night.

Later yesterday, a notice from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department indicate the victim, later identified as 62-year old Indio resident Jay Groth, died from his injuries.

He was pronounced dead at 8:37 pm after being taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.

According to the sheriff’s department, the crash occurred around 7:30 pm Tuesday at Cook Street and Country Club Drive in Palm Desert.

The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.

There’s no word on which direction the driver was traveling, where Groth was in the intersection, or any other details on how it happened. However, a street view shows combination bike and golf cart lanes on both Cook Street and Country Club.

Hopefully, we’ll learn more later.

Anyone with information is urged to call Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Sanchez at the Palm Desert Sheriff Station at 760/836–1600, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 800/782-7463.

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

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jay Groth and all his family and loved ones. 

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

Update: Bicyclist killed in Perris Collision Friday afternoon, no information on victim

February 11, 2024 / / Comments Off on Update: Bicyclist killed in Perris Collision Friday afternoon, no information on victim

Someone was killed riding a bicycle in Perris Friday afternoon.

But apparently, it’s asking too much to even release the most basic information about the victim, beyond their mode of transportation.

According to My News LA, the victim was riding at A Street and Redding Way around 2:55 pm when they allegedly rode through a stop sign, and was struck by a driver turning left onto eastbound A Street from Redding Way.

The victim died at the scene, despite the efforts of deputies to revive them.

The victim has not been publicly identified, and authorities have not released any description of the person killed.

Anyone with information is urged to call Community Service Officer Johnson of the Perris Sheriff’s Station at 951/210-1000, or the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office at 951/776-1099.

This is at least the fourth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

Update: The victim has been identified as 54-year old Riverside resident Diane Rotarius. 

An autopsy is pending to determine her cause of death, which would seem to be apparent. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Diane Rotarius and her loved ones.

 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Man killed riding bike in Hemet collision Saturday; driver arrested for DUI

January 15, 2024 / / Comments Off on Man killed riding bike in Hemet collision Saturday; driver arrested for DUI

That didn’t take long.

Just days after the year’s first fatal bicycling hit-and-run, we’ve now seen the first fatal DUI involving someone on a bicycle in Southern California.

According to the Hemet Police Department, the victim was struck by a driver traveling north on San Jacinto Street near El Nita Lane in Hemet around 6:30 pm Saturday.

The victim, described only as an adult man, was trapped under the vehicle when paramedics arrived; he died after being taken to a local hospital.

The driver was arrested for driving under the influence. There’s no word on their identity, or whether they are suspected of being drunk or on some other intoxicant.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Hemet Police Department at 951/765-2400, and ask for Traffic Officer N. Reineke or Corporal C. Nicot, reference report #2024-00245, or email nreineke@hemetca.gov or cnicot@hemetca.gov.

This is at least the second bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

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

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Man riding bicycle struck and killed by 2nd driver after Coachella hit-and-run; 19th fatal SoCal bike hit-and-run this year

December 9, 2023 / / Comments Off on Man riding bicycle struck and killed by 2nd driver after Coachella hit-and-run; 19th fatal SoCal bike hit-and-run this year

A man riding a bicycle was struck by a hit-and-run driver in Coachella Thursday night, then left in the road for another motorist to finish the job.

Or maybe it was Indio. Or even Thermal.

Multiple sources reported on the crash, but couldn’t seem to agree on the location.

But Google Maps puts in it Coachella, so we’ll go with that.

The victim was reportedly riding south in the 54000 block of Grapefruit Blvd, north of Palm Street, when he was run down from behind by a heartless coward, who fled the scene, around 11:35 pm.

He was then struck by a second driver, who stuck around after the crash and called 911.

The victim was identified only as a 54-year old man from Coachella.

There’s no word on whether he was riding in the traffic lane when he was struck; a street view shows a two lane highway with a minimal paved shoulder he could have been using.

It’s also not clear how long after the initial impact he was struck by the second motorist, or if he could have survived if the first driver had the basic human decency to stop after hitting someone.

The second driver won’t face charges in the crash. The same can’t be said for the coward who fled.

Unfortunately, no description is available for vehicle used in the hit-and-run, or for the person driving it. Anyone with information is urged to call CHP Officer Windsor at 760/772-5300.

This is at least the 67th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the ninth that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

At least 19 of those SoCal bicyclists have been the victims of heartless hit-and-run drivers.

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

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