A 72-year old man was killed riding a bicycle in Santa Ana on Friday. And this time, the cops didn’t just respond to the crash.
They watched it.
According to KTLA-5, the only source that appears to have covered the crash so far, the victim had just begun riding west on McFadden Ave from Fairview Street a little before 7 pm when he was rear-ended by a driver traveling in the same direction.
The police immediately responded after witnessing the crash and began life saving efforts. However, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver remained following the collision and cooperated with investigators, and they did not appear to be under the influence. Neither the driver nor the victim have been publicly identified.
It’s not clear from the story whether the victim had turned onto McFadden from Fairview, or was continuing straight on Fairview. And even though the police saw the crash as it happened, the driver was not cited or arrested following the crash.
The intersection is controlled by a four-way traffic signal, but there are no bike lanes on McFadden, and the street has a 40 mph speed limit. If the driver was traveling at that speed, there is a 50% chance of fatality according to AAA, though the risk is significantly higher for someone of the victim’s age.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call Santa Ana Police Officer J. Hernandez at 714/245- 8217, or the Traffic Division of the Santa Ana Police Department at 714/245-8200.
This is at least the 43rd bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the seventh we know about in Orange County. It’s also the fifth fatal bicycling crash in Santa Ana in less than four months.
Something that suggests the city has a significant safety problem on its streets.
Update: The victim has been identified as Robert Fore, a 72-year old grandfather.
A crowdfunding campaign to help pay his funeral expenses has raised nearly $5,000 of the modest $6,500 goal.
According Fore’s daughter,
Dad spent a good amount of his life helping people with mental health, and he was an amazing person.
This loss has affected me deeply. I miss my dad so much and wish I could spend more time with him and see him again. My daughter has been having a very difficult time with losing her grandpa, and this has been a painful loss for both of us. Everything has fallen on me, and I cannot do this by myself.
I am asking for help because I cannot afford the cost of the services on my own. The funds raised will go toward the mortuary costs, funeral costs, and service expenses, as well as cremation or burial depending on what I am able to afford with the support we receive. I want to give my dad a beautiful service and honor his life with the care and dignity he deserves.
William writes to say riding west on McFadden at sunset is dangerous, because the sun gets in the eyes of drivers, and the same with riding east at sunrise.
He also suggests riding with a bright tail light, or moving over a block to a quieter street.
Anyone with information is urged to call Santa Ana Police Officer J. Hernandez at 714/245- 8217 or Santa Ana Police Department’s Traffic Division at 714/245-8200.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Robert Fore and his loved ones.
