Tag: fatal

Driver kills man on bike in Soquel, California

The Santa Cruz County California Highway Patrol responded to a fatality traffic collision after an 18-year-old man drove his vehicle into the back of a westbound 31-year-old man riding a bicycle on Soquel Drive near Rosedale Avenue at 8:30 P.M. Wednesday night.

Update: The cyclist has been identified as Kevin “Jack” Meehan, who moved to the Santa Cruz area from San Francisco in 2015.

At least one witness reports the driver was “speeding too fast before hitting the bicyclist.” The speed limit on this part of Soquel is 35 MPH, slowing to 25 MPH at Rosedale just one block west of the site of the collision. CHP investigation continues; they ask anyone with information to call (831) 662-0511.

I ride this way occasionally and I’m always somewhat uncomfortable on this stretch of Soquel Drive. Santa Cruz County is fairly small and there’s a fair chance I know somebody connected to the driver or the victim.

Information from the CHP bicycle incident report page, with a hat tip to Steve Piercy for bringing this to my attention. Steve, who maintains this map of Santa Cruz County pedestrian / bicycle collisions, was hit on his bike at this location just last month.

Windows Media dispatch audio can be streamed from here. It’s heartbreaking listening to this.

“Legally passing” driver sideswipes, kills woman on bike

A pair of cyclists participating in a charity ride to benefit law enforcement chaplaincy were apparently sideswiped by the driver of a 2004 Chevrolet dualie pickup truck who was passing a grape truck from the opposite direction. The second cyclist, 55-year-old Amy Suyama of Sebastopol, California, perished from her injuries in the crash. According to the Sonoma Press Democrat, the CHP Public Information Officer, Sgt. Jason Bahlman, said the driver of the truck “was legally passing in the sense that he was allowed to do so.” One can only hope this statement is grossly out of context.

eastside road, sonoma county, ca

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Cupertino: Gravel truck vs child on a bike

Big Rig

The driver of a gravel truck ran over and killed a teenager on a bicycle this morning in Cupertino, CA.


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