Bicyclist killed in traffic accident

By SEAN EMERY THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

IRVINE – A bicyclist died after he was struck by an SUV on an Irvine roadway Wednesday afternoon, police said.
The 42-year-old Irvine resident was biking northbound on Shady Canyon Drive just south of Quail Hill Parkway about 1 p.m. when police say he was struck by a Mercedes-Benz SUV traveling in the same direction.
Two other bicyclists were reportedly performing CPR on the injured man when officers and firefighters arrived.
The man was taken to a hospital, where police say he was pronounced dead. Authorities are waiting for his family to be notified before identifying the bicyclist.
Police say the occupants of the SUV, a 35-year-old woman and her infant child, were uninjured.
The cause of the collision is under investigation.
It wasn't immediately clear which lane the SUV was traveling in or whether the bicyclist was in a traffic lane or traveling along the roadside. Police have not determined who was at fault, Irvine police Lt. Julia Engen said.
Investigators do not believe that drugs or alcohol were a factor, Engen said. No arrests were reported.
Police closed Shady Canyon Drive between Quail Hill Parkway and the entrance to Shady Canyon for several hours as they went over the scene.
Authorities are asking anyone who witnessed the collision to contact Sgt. Dennis Maisano at 949-724-7023.

This was a coworker and a friend. I'm about ready to give up the road. Please send prayers for his family.

 

Very sad.

I couldn't possibly imagine that the woman was distracted. :-k

I hope they check her cell phone records.

 

Can't say for sure about this driver, but I definitely notice that Mercedes and other high-priced car drivers tend to drive like they own the road and the rules don't apply to them...this happened just on the other side of the 405 from where I live...gotta make sure I ride on the bikeways....crossing over the freeway on Shady/Sand Canyon can be a bit dangerous since people tend to fly over that bridge...

 

she could have been tending to her 'infant child' and not on the phone… kids can be just as distracting if not more so. just sayin'.

 

always sad to hear of the loss of a fellow rider Prayers to his family and friends

 

That's still unexcusable. If your child is making a ruckus, pull over and tend to your child then continue driving. It's plain irresponsible to juggle driving, and a child in the back seat, you're obviously gonna have to take your eyes off the road. Just liike you shouldn't try and eat with both hands while driving using your knees to steer, or do your makeup while driving, but people still do it which puts everyone around them at risk!

 

i wasn't making an excuse for her… i was simply pointing out lee's flaw in assuming automatically that it was her cell that was the distraction (if any at all).

 

Oh, I know! That's why I included that text, hence my sarcasm. And I'm sure she felt safe driving that vehicle, too. This whole sad story reeks of Irvine or south OC mentality.

Yes, I'm jumping to conclusions without knowing any of the other facts. So what.

If we were to profile her...35 year old woman driving a Mercedes SUV with an infant in the back seat. Yes, she would be distracted. I wouldn't at all be surprised if she was also on the phone/and or putting on make-up or tending to the dog on her lap (dog not mentioned, so probably not the case).

Nonetheless, regardless of who was at fault or why, it's still a sad story.

 

The investigation should show what happened. I sure hope she wasn't on the phone or something similar. The bottom line is the world lost a great man and I'd bet the driver is probably having a hard time dealing with what she did.

 

I am sorry for the people involved.

 

I hate hearing these stories. I'm sure the guy had a family. Something really needs to be done. This is the 4th death in less than two years in the Newport Coast/Shady area. I feel for his family.

I rode up Laguna Canyon, cut through Quail Hill, and over Shady Canyon on Friday afternoon. Going down Quail, a burgundy Mercedes S550 did the pass me right before the intersection and then turn right. I yelled "hey" as loud as I could and not only scared the crP out of the lady, but prevented her from completing her turn.

I live in Newport Coast, and my wife and I drive German cars, so I won't make generalized statements about people driving high priced cars. . . But I will say that most of them are in fact a$$holes.

 

Yeah I know what you're saying, but too often when a woman is distracted by her children when driving it's not thought of as being as bad as other distractions like cell phones, food, makeup. It just angers me how many fatal accidents occur from distracted driving.

 

From the description, sounds like he was riding on Shady Canyon towards the 5 Freeway, just South of the shopping center at Quail Hill?

I've ridden in that area a lot, usually going the other way--up Shady Canyon to Newport Coast, etc. Drivers in Newport Coast appear to be criminally negligent / distracted--how many times have there been instances? I myself was almost taken out by a spoiled rich kid and his friends in an Escalade who ran a stop sign and almost took me out.

There's a parking lot / trailhead nearby there, so it's possible that the cyclist had parked there and was just starting their ride and cut out into oncoming traffic when they were hit...but unlikely. The driver was reportedly going in the same direction, meaning she hit him from behind or side-swiped him / cut him off. She was probably flying down the hill out of Shady Canyon and racing to get to the freeway, distracted by her cell phone and/or child, etc. I see it almost every day.

Very sad for all involved. Cyclists aren't perfect, but it's almost certainly the drivers' fault. My thoughts are with his family and friends. I'll think twice before riding in Newport Coast again. Filthy rich, inconsiderate SOB's, mostly from what I can tell.

 

Very sad. And why I ride on the sidewalks should I need a moment to find the dirt.

The kill ratio between cyclists and pedestrians is much different than between cyclists and motorists.

Rather stack the odds in my favor.

Sorry pedestrians... I'll stop and let you pass.

Cars? Can't see why anyone would try to share a road with them on a bike. Bad enough being in a car trying to do so.

 

Jesus Christ... she probably ran over her husband.

 

Everyone is so quick to blame the driver. With zero info . Cyclist make mistakes all the time. I had one guy swerve to miss some glass last week , he without looking swung right out in front of my jeep. I had to cross over the double line to avoid his dumb A$$ . I will reserve my opinion on this until there are more facts in evidence! How very sad for both families!

 

Sure, we don't know the facts.

Have you ridden in this area? If you had, you'd understand what we're talking about with extraordinary high number drivers who are distracted, hence we're quick to jump to conclusions. I'm not a judge or on the jury, so my opinion has no affect on the outcome, so there's no harm to anyone by me and others immediately blaming her. We're not planning a protest on her front door, or anything drastic for that matter. So, so what if we have an opinion?

 

ughh.

 

Sad story, I was just mentioning to fellow riders of saving money for a road bike but more and more of these tragedies really decrease that idea.

There are many variables that may have caused this fatality.

More and more STR threads. Have turned to crap sessions of absurd conclusions prior to investigations being completed.

Where have all the ride reports gone, damn!!!

 

Detective killed in cycling accident

I just read this thread and immediately went to OC Register to read the article there. The subject headline is now changed to 'Detective killed in cycling accident'. The article has more information about the victim which is a 15 year veteran of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. However, the article still does not have any updated information on the investigation related to the accident.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/police-311639-canyon-shady.html

It's a sad situation for every one involved. Thoughts and prayer to the Parkison's family.