Tag Archive for semi truck

Man riding ebike killed by semi driver in Escondido Friday am; 12th San Diego County bike death this year, 8th SoCal death in 2 weeks

October 2, 2026 / / One comment

Another day, another bike rider killed on the mean streets of Southern California.

For the 8th time in the last two weeks, someone riding a bicycle in SoCal has been killed by a driver, this time in Escondido Friday morning.

According to multiple sources, the victim was struck by the driver of a semi-truck, apparently in the northbound lanes near North Centre City Parkway and Champagne Blvd around 5:50 am.

The victim, identified only as a man, was trapped under the massive truck, and unresponsive when San Diego County sheriff’s deputies arrived. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died.

A map shows North Centre and Champaign are the same north-south street paralleling the 15 Freeway on opposite sides of Deer Springs/Mountain Road. A street view shows a painted bike lane next to a 55 mph speed limit sign.

Video from the North County Chronicle shows the victim was riding an ebike with pedals, and was wearing a helmet, which would have done little to protect  against the massive truck — especially if the truck was traveling at that speed.

This is at least the 54th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the 12th in San Diego County.

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

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

Man riding bicycle killed by semi-truck driver in apparent right hook in Riverside Tuesday morning, 50th known SoCal bike death this year

September 25, 2026 / / One comment

Another day, another bike rider killed on the mean streets of Southern California.

Less than 34 hours after a man riding a bicycle was killed in a San Diego hit-and-run, another bike-riding man was killed by a semi driver in Riverside. But at least this time, the driver stuck around.

According to My News LA — since the Riverside paper of record seems to think stories than can be readily found elsewhere should be hidden behind a paywall — the victim was struck by the driver at 10:25 am Thursday at Indiana Ave and Jefferson Street, just south of the Riverside (91) Freeway.

A police detective reports the driver was turning right from Jefferson onto eastbound Indiana when the truck hit the bike rider in an apparent right hook. The victim, who has not been publicly identified, died at the scene.

Or as the detective put it, the “bicyclist and trailer collided,” as if no one was responsible for putting that trailer into the victim’s path.

To their credit, the driver immediately stopped following the collision and remained at the scene, as both the law and basic human decency require.

The victim’s mangled mountain bike can be seen lying in the street afterwards, next to markings indicating the track’s pathway as the driver turned. There is a bike lane on Jefferson, though it’s used as a parking lane for the local Toyota dealer.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Major Accident Investigation Team of the Riverside Police Department at 951/826-8723.

This is at least the 50th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the fifth in Riverside County.

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

 

 

 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

68-year old Long Beach man killed by semi driver in apparent right-hook hit-and-run 2 weeks ago, public not told until now

September 17, 2026 / / 3 comments

Sometimes, I don’t even know what to say.

A bad day Tuesday on the streets of Southern California, followed by a worse day yesterday.

Tuesday, it was news of a grandfather killed by a driver in El Monte while riding the ebike he just got for his birthday, followed by two people on a Metro bus killed by a speeding, red light-running driver in Chatsworth, who has been charged with two counts of murder.

Then a helicopter reporting on the crash for KNBC-4 and Telemundo fell from the sky, killing both people on board and an unfortunate bystander from Guatemala on the ground.

Then the first news to pop up yesterday was a Long Beach man killed in a right-hook crash by a hit-and-run truck driver, in what oddly wasn’t called a hit-and-run. That was followed by a 13-year old on an ebike killed by a driver fleeing the police in Menifee.

And just as I started to write this, news broke of a pedestrian killed when he was struck by three separate drivers in Long Beach Sunday, two of whom fled the scene.

But at least I don’t have to write about that one.

All this just days after LA advocates stormed City Hall on Tuesday with a demand to declare a State of Emergency on Traffic Violence, which I’d much rather be writing about.

And yes, I recognize the irony in being unable to write about a demand that drivers stop killing us because drivers won’t stop killing us.

Sigh.

So let’s start with the tragedy in Long Beach, if only because it happened first.

The Long Beach Post reports that a 68-year old Long Beach man, whose identity has not been made public, was struck by the driver of a semi-truck as he was riding on the sidewalk on PCH near Canal Ave on September 4th.

Yes, two weeks ago, and we’re just now finding out.

The crash occurred shortly after 11 pm as he was riding west on the south sidewalk, which should have been the safest place to ride along SoCal’s killer highway, but wasn’t. Because as he approaching a parking lot driveway, the semi driver pulled out from the parking lot, and turned right directly in front of him.

The victim stopped his bike, but trailer of the semi still struck him, knocking him to the ground — and presumably, under the truck’s rear wheels.

He was taken to a hospital, where he died a day later, according to My News LA, although the medical examiner didn’t bother to inform the Long Beach Police Department until September 10th.

And they still didn’t tell us for another week.

Nearly two full weeks after the collision, they still haven’t found the driver, and there is no description of the truck. Yet for some reason, the cops aren’t calling this a hit-and-run, apparently on the questionable assumption that the driver may not have been aware he hit someone.

My News LA reports the driver was leaving a restaurant parking lot; the only restaurant on the south side of that block is the Golden Star Restaurant at 1560 PCH.

Anyone with information is urged to call LBPD Detective Paredes at 562/570-7358; anonymous tips can be made through Crime Stoppers at 800/222-TIPS (8477).

This is at least the 47th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the 16th we know about in Los Angeles County. At least 13 of those SoCal deaths have been hit-and-runs.

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

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

Victim blamed when San Diego bike rider killed by big rig driver in Otay Mesa right hook; 3rd SoCal bicycling death this week

August 13, 2026 / / One comment

Evidently, big rig trucks don’t have wing mirrors anymore.

Because for the third time this week, someone in Southern California has been killed riding a bicycle. And it’s only Wednesday.

And this time, the victim is getting the blame.

According to San Diego’s City News Service, posted by 10 News, the victim “rode his bicycle into a big rig” after getting right hooked by the driver in the city’s Otay Mesa neighborhood Tuesday afternoon.

The victim was riding south on Otay Center Drive next to a semi-truck stopped at the red light at Siempre Viva Road around 2:17 pm. When the light turned green, the 38-year old driver turned right onto Siempre Viva, while the victim — identified only as a 59-year old man — attempted to continue straight on Otay Center.

So if the victim rode into the big rig, it’s only because the driver turned right directly in from of him, causing him to crash into the truck’s right front wheel. Which means he had to be directly next to the truck at the red light, and should have been visible to the driver.

Not “traveling behind the truck,” as FOX5 reports. If that was the case, it’s more likely he would been run over by the rear of the truck as it turned.

Not surprisingly, the victim was declared dead at the scene.

Unfortunately, there’s no bike lane or other infrastructure on the street that might have protected the victim, or at least alerted the driver to look for someone on a bike.

Most cars these days have safety systems to alert the driver to the presence of another vehicle, bicycle or pedestrian. Even my wife’s car, which does not have automatic braking or other alert systems, has a camera that’s activated whenever she uses the right turn signal, to alert her when there’s someone or something to her right before she turns.

Why one of the most dangerous vehicles on the road wouldn’t have something like that is anyone’s guess.

And yes, it’s dangerous to ride alongside any big rig, and you should never come up from behind as a truck is turning, or likely to.

But it’s hard to imagine why the victim shouldn’t have been visible in the driver’s wing mirror, or how he could have run into the truck’s front wheel if he ridden up from behind as the driver was turning.

It’s easy to imagine, though, that only one person involved in the crash was still around afterward to give their side of the story to the cops.

This is at least the 40th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the seventh we know about in San Diego County.

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

 

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