Bike Friendly City?

http://www.mantecabulletin.com/section/38/article/151311/ :cry:
By Glenn KahlReporter/feature writer/photographergkahl@mantecabulletin.com2095992591
POSTED April 23, 2018 1:52 a.m.
A bicyclist riding along Yosemite Avenue into traffic turning onto the northbound Highway 99 on ramp shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday rode directly into the rear of a pickup truck pulling a boat trailer and was killed after he fell under the wheels of the trailer.
A motorist from Elk Grove returning from a weekend at Yosemite National Park witnessed the crash as she was making a right turn from Yosemite Avenue onto the ramp.  
The Manteca man, who police declined to identify until his next of kin is contacted, appeared not to even see the vehicle and rode right into it. He carried a plastic shopping bag on his handle bars from the Target Store. 
She added that a half-dozen motorists rushed to the man’s aid and attempted to pull him from under the right rear axel and wheel area of the trailer but were unsuccessful in their efforts.
Firefighters arrived on the scene and jacked the trailer up and placed wooden blocks under the trailer but did not remove the body after discovering he was dead. They then waited for the arrival of the coroner.
Manteca Police officers cordoned off the area and began their investigation closing the area to foot and motor traffic. Officers noted the bicycle was outside the crosswalk area when it was hit and then was dragged into the crosswalk after the incident.  
Traffic was unable to use the northbound ramp for some three hours until the investigation was completed.
 
http://ktla.com/2018/05/20/bicyclist-killed-in-compton-hit-and-run-crash-authorities/ :cry:
And:
http://www.kesq.com/news/bicyclist-in-serious-condition-after-being-struck-by-car/741667739 :cry:
 
Bicycle rider dies in crash with Tahoe on Fresno street
BY JESSICA JOHNSON
May 19, 2018 11:37 AM
Updated May 19, 2018 02:05 PM
A bicycle rider died Saturday morning after he was struck by a Chevrolet Tahoe at a downtown Fresno intersection, police said.
Lt. Mike Brogdon said the accident happened around 10 a.m. at Ventura Avenue and R Street, under the Highway 41 overpass.
Brogdon described what investigators believe happened:
A 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe was traveling west on Ventura approaching R Street. At the same time, the bicyclist was riding east in the westbound lane, illegally against traffic
It is unclear if the bicyclist was near the curb or in the middle of the roadway.
The 21-year-old driver of the Tahoe did not see the bicyclist until just before colliding with him, causing him to be thrown over a wire fence along Ventura Avenue. In an effort to avoid the collision, the Tahoe driver veered and hit a light signal pole, knocking it into a van stopped on R Street at the intersection.
The victim, a 57-year-old from Fresno whose name was not released, was taken to Community Regional Medical Center with head and facial trauma. He was pronounced dead at 10:36 a.m. Brogdon said a helmet was not found at the scene.
There is no bike path in the area, Brogdon said, and bicyclists are expected to follow vehicle laws when that is the case.
Brogdon said the families riding in the Tahoe and van were shaken up, but cooperating with the investigation. No arrests were made.
Alcohol and/or drugs do not appear to be a factor in the collision, Brogdon said. A city worker was repairing the light signal.

http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article211503534.html :cry:
 
http://fox59.com/2018/05/27/witness-says-motorcyclists-popped-wheelies-before-fatal-crash-everything-just-burst-into-a-ball-of-flames/ :cry:
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For decades, S. East St. near National Ave. has been a traditional weekend night cruising corridor as motorcyclists rev their engines and car enthusiasts show off their rides.
Saturday night, a witness told us he was watching a pair of motorcyclists pop wheelies and weave in and out of each other’s path.
“We kind of made the comment, ‘Oh boy, see what happens,’ he said. “About two minutes afterwards, we noticed a couple motorcycles doing some stunt riding. A bicycle pulled out in front of them.
“They had just crossed the intersection. The bicyclist actually went out into the street. There was nothing the motorcyclists could do at that time considering what they were doing. They made impact with the bicyclist,” the man said.
The witness said the northbound motorcyclists collided, one man was thrown free, the other trapped in the wreckage.  The bicyclist and one of the motorcyclists died. Two of the other motorcyclists were sent to the hospital, one in critical condition.
The bicyclist was launched into the southbound lanes where an approaching motorcyclist swerved to avoid the downed rider, lost control and that bike slid into the crashed motorcycles.
“Everything just burst into a ball of flames,” said the witness. “I ran up there with a couple friends of mine seeing if anything could be done. There was one motorcyclist down on the ground. He was in pretty rough shape. There was another gentleman on fire with the motorcycles that were all grouped up together. We tried to get to him but the fire was just way too hot.”
“There was another gentleman there that tried to aid. He got really close to the fire but I think it was too hot for him also. He reached and tried to pull him out of the fire but it just didn’t work,” he said.
The witness said a passing tow truck driver made a futile attempt to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.
“It was very hard to watch. It was very hard to see,” he recalled.
IMPD typically defers to the Marion County Coroner to announce the identities of the crash victims. The victims have not been identified yet.
Officers also recovered two handguns from the scene.
 
http://ktla.com/2018/06/03/man-riding-bicycle-shot-killed-in-south-los-angeles-police/ :cry:

A man riding a bicycle was shot and killed after an assailant drove up alongside him and opened fire in South L.A. early Sunday morning, police said
The victim, who was not immediately identified, was riding his bicycle in the 200 block of East 95th Street shortly after midnight when he was shot, according to Officer Norma Eisenman, a Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman.
The suspect or suspects drove up alongside the bicyclist and fired several rounds from inside the vehicle, she said. The victim, who was in his late 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was not immediately clear whether the victim was targeted or the shooting was gang-related, Eisenman said. Police did not describe the vehicle.
 
http://abc7.com/bicyclist-killed-during-road-rage-incident-between-2-drivers-in-ie/3565051/ :cry:

Bicyclist killed in San Bernardino during road rage incident between 2 drivers
A bicyclist was killed after being struck by a car involved in a road rage incident with another vehicle in San Bernardino.
By Leticia Juarez
Tuesday, June 05, 2018 04:51PM
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) --
A bicyclist was killed after being struck by a car involved in a road rage incident with another vehicle in San Bernardino.
Police said 32-year-old Rosendo Ortiz and 28-year-old Karina Saucedo were driving Monday when they became involved in a road rage incident. Details surrounding the incident were not immediately disclosed.
The two drivers were engaged in the road rage incident for some time, investigators said. When they arrived in the area of Fifth Street and Ramona Avenue, Ortiz's blue 2003 Infiniti struck a bicyclist crossing the street while Saucedo's black 2000 BMW crashed into an unrelated parked car.
The bicyclist, identified as 45-year-old Efrain Garcia, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two drivers remained at the scene and have not been charged, but police said they are forwarding the case to the district attorney's office for possible charges.
San Bernardino Police Department investigators are seeking additional witnesses. If you have any relevant information about this incident, you're urged to contact Det. Peck at (909) 384-5664.
 
Case Number2018-01727
NameWILCOX, Jason
City of ResidenceState of Residence
DOB12/12/1977GenderMalePlace of DeathSharp Memorial Hospital, 7901 Frost St, San Diego, California, 92123, San Diego, USA
Place of injuryIntersection, 2nd Street and Pepper Drive, El Cajon, California, 92021, San Diego, USA
Date and time of death07/16/2018 2318Date and time of Injury07/16/18 2228
Summary
The decedent was a 40-year old male who lived a transient lifestyle in San Diego. In the late evening of 07/16/2018 the decedent was an unhelmeted bicyclist travelling into the intersection of 2nd Street and Pepper Street in El Cajon. The driver of a pickup truck travelled into the intersection at the same time and was unable to stop before colliding with the decedent at a high rate of speed, and the decedent was ejected from his bicycle. The driver of the truck immediately pulled over and called 911. Paramedics responded to the scene and transported the decedent to the Trauma Bay at Sharp Memorial Hospital where despite aggressive lifesaving measures the decedent did not respond, and his death was pronounced.
Cause of Death/Updated CoDMultiple blunt force injuriesContributing ConditionsNoneManner
AccidentInvestigating AgencyCalifornia Highway Patrol
Next of kin notifiedYes
:cry:
 
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/07/26/suspect-arrested-in-crockett-cyclist-fatal-hit-and-run/ :cry:
CROCKETT (CBS SF) — A 28-year-old Martinez woman has been arrested after a cyclist was found fatally struck on a rural road in unincorporated Crockett, the California Highway Patrol announced Thursday.
CHP Officer Brandon Correia said his agency received a tip claiming a red Mini Cooper had been involved in the hit-and-run accident that claimed the life of 42-year-old Hercules resident Christopher Bunag on Tuesday night.
A short time after the first call, Kylie Lanae Derksen phoned the CHP to say she may have been involved in the collision.
With the evidence CHP collected at the scene, witness statements, surveillance video and all the information gathered on the case, CHP a warrant for her arrest was obtained. She was taken into custody, placed her under arrest for two felony counts and her vehicle for seized as evidence.
Derksen was being held at the Martinez detention facility with a bail of of $100,000.
The CHP said Bunag died at the scene after a collision reported at 7:21 p.m. Tuesday just west of The Dead Fish, a popular waterfront restaurant at 20050 San Pablo Ave.
Bunag was a member of the Hercules Cycling Club, a group of bicyclists that organize group rides and other events to encourage bicycling.
His sister told KPIX 5 that Bunag was a loving family member.
“He was just so loving,” said Steffi Sabadlab. “And he is just the most loving person ever. Anyone who knows him knows just how sweet and genuine and honest he is.”
The CHP is asking anyone who witnessed the collision, was in the area at the time or has any information to provide to call the Contra Costa-area CHP at (925) 646-4980.
 
https://lbpost.com/news/bicyclist-killed-crash-ben-rael-seventh-street/ :cry:

Bicyclist killed in crash ‘had the biggest damn heart you can imagine,’ brother says

by Jeremiah Dobruck in News

  314

The bicyclist killed this week on Seventh Street was a 35-year-old designer who was making a new life for himself in Long Beach before a crash snatched him away from his family, according to a relative.

About a year ago, Ben Rael moved to Long Beach where he’d gotten a promising new position managing interior design jobs at high-end hotels, his brother Tim Rael said.

It was a fresh start.

“He had several years of really hard times. He always stayed positive,” Tim Rael said. “He worked his way through them and things were getting better. It’s the best I’ve ever seen him in his life.”

Despite moving away from his family—including six siblings—in Arizona, Ben Rael stayed close emotionally, sometimes driving through the night or sleeping in his car to visit his brothers and sisters for just a day.

“He was just an amazing guy,” his brother said. “He had the biggest damn heart you can imagine.”

Police said Ben Rael was hit by a pickup truck when his bike veered into oncoming lanes at Seventh Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue around 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 2.

The driver who hit him immediately pulled over and started performing CPR, but Ben Rael died after paramedics took him to the hospital, according to authorities.

A bicyclist was killed in a crash with a pickup truck at Seventh Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Thursday morning in Long Beach August 2, 2018. Photo by Thomas R Cordova.

He’d just bought the electric bike he was riding after six months of saving up money, his brother said.

“It was only his second day riding it to work,” Tim Rael said. “He called my mom and told her he loved her right before he was killed. He would call her every morning to tell her he loved her and he was OK.”

Tim Rael said he was hoping to get in touch with the truck’s driver.

“Obviously this was just an accident. We don’t want the guy to have to suffer,” he said. “We just want him to be at peace with everything as much as possible.”

Tim Rael said he’d been helping his brother remodel his new house on Cedar Avenue. After work, Ben Rael would head home and work on designs for it, according to his brother.

The finishing touch was going to be a painting by Tim Rael, who works as an artist.

It was based on a picture the two brothers took together one night at the Pine Avenue Pier where Ben Rael liked to spend time, according to his brother.

“It just felt like a really good moment and all of a sudden fireworks went off,” Tim Rael said. He snapped the panoramic photo and spent months turning it into a large acrylic painting, finishing it only recently and revealing it to his brother.

“Three weeks ago, we had the best time ever. It was the last time I saw him,” Tim Rael said. “I was able to show him the painting on the beach. He totally loved it, but we never got to hang it up.”
 
https://bikinginla.com/2018/08/04/road-bike-rider-killed-in-east-san-diego-county-crash/#comment-409402 :cry:
Road bike rider killed in East San Diego County crash

August 4, 2018 / bikinginla / One comment

A man has been killed riding a road bike in an unincorporated area east of San Diego.
According to the Union-Tribune, the victim was riding south in the bike lane on Avocado Blvd just above Nabal Drive in the Casa del Oro neighborhood of San Diego County around 8 am. He reportedly swerved into the traffic lane, and was struck by a car driven by a 63-year old woman.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, was taken to a regional trauma center,where he died from his injuries.
The only identifying information given is the make of his bike, a Masi Gran Corsa road bike.
As always, the question is whether there were any witnesses other than the driver.
It’s possible that he may have swerved out of the bike lane to avoid an obstruction, or moved left to turn onto Nabal Drive without checking for traffic.
However, it’s also possible that the driver may have been speeding, or drifted into the bike lane and only assumed the he swerved in front her. The lack of physical evidence in bike crashes can make it difficult, if not impossible, to identify the exact point of impact.
Crashes like that are so common they are often referred to sarcastically as an SWSS, or Single Witness Suicide Swerves.
Hopefully we’ll get more information soon.
This is at least the 29th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 6th that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
 
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