Fullerton Loop - Mountain Bike Rider Hit By Vehicle

Here is the article for those of you who don't like clicking on links:

Bicyclist seriously injured after being struck by a bus

FULLERTON – A bicyclist was seriously injured after being struck by a bus Wednesday evening, police said.

A man on a mountain bike attempting to cross Euclid Street was struck by a small Orange County Transportation Authority bus traveling northbound on the roadway at Laguna Road about 5:10 p.m., Fullerton police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich said.

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Police investigate an accident involving a small OCTA bus and a bicyclist on Euclid St. at W. Laguna Rd. in Fullerton Wednesday. The bicyclist, riding a mountain bike, was struck by the bus at about 5:10 pm. The man was seriously injured and airlifted to the hospital.



Based on the initial investigation, police believe the bicyclist rode down a bike loop right before crossing Euclid, Goodrich said. He apparently crossed against a red light, Goodrich said.

The force of the impact reportedly cracked the windshield on the bus.

Authorities airlifted the bicyclist to a hospital.

The man, who police say appears to be in his 60s, is in critical condition, Goodrich said.

Several passengers were riding the bus but none were injured, Goodrich said.

The man was struck by a bus that the OCTA uses for door-to-door pickups, not a full-size coach, Goodrich said.

Authorities are asking anyone who witnessed the collision to call investigator Brandon Clyde at 714-738-6812 or the front desk of the Fullerton police station at 714-738-6715.

 

a friend of mine who works for the CoF said he has a fractured skull and is in critical condition....

 

Damn I hope the guy is alright. Anyone know if he is a member on these boards?

I ride fullerton loop pretty much once a week and I swear I hear of more injuries on this trail than anywhere else. Ill make sure to ride a little safer on sunday

 

Just read the article and jumped on here to see if it had been reported.... who needs links to news sites when I can count on the good folks of STR to post up most of what I am reading anyway. Thoughts and prayers go out to all involved.

 

very sad situation and I prayer he is OK but as a response to fatboy... the accident occurred in the street. It is not legal to ride without lights at night on a public roadway. In addition, cyclists are required to obey all rules of the road when on the public streets. Not certain if this is what happened, but the article says the cyclist crossed against a red light.

Night riding is dangerous. Motorcyclist just can't see a dark blue whizzing by in time to avoid an accident. If one does ride at night, they should have lights and wear highly visible clothing. Not the typically ninja stuff MTB riders normally wear.

Hate to see the Loop shut down because of accidents and hate to see any more riders get hurt!

 

Lee has posted exactly what I'd have posted. This area is always tough and it's easy to misjudge the speed of vehicles approaching.

 

You're right, St Jude isn't a trauma center. I do CT at St Jude and see a lot of Fully Loop casualties but serious stuff gets sent to level 1 facilities.

 

That is why I made sure to include 'with proper lights'.

 

Yeah me and my buddy was there that night too.. hope the rider is doing good.

Shook me up a bit since it was my first ride on the loop. Just have to be more careful now.

 

Oh jeezzz...I just learned the rider is my running friend. A very, very good guy. He has hearing problems and this may have contributed. If you ride the trail often I guarantee you have seen him running many times. Apparently he is in a coma. I won't say his name till I can talk to his wife. Our group of running friends are doing what we can to find more details and reach out to his wife. I'll keep you updated. Very sad.

 

I have an update. My wife was able to speak to his wife. No names yet because we didn't ask her if we could share that. But the docs are hopeful. Apparently he broke his leg and shattered his pelvis and generally was very banged up. They placed a rod in his tibia. Still comatose but they are hopeful he didn't suffer brain damage. Fortunately he was wearing his helmet and the doc credits that with minimizing the hemorraging. They have a large extended family that are assisting and lots and lots of running friends that will care for the dogs and be there for him. In ICU for at least a week and then see where it goes from there. His wife is VERY together. This guy is a very accomplished marathon and ultra-marathon trail runner. Skinny as a rail and very fit for his age which will make all the difference in his recovery.

 

de

 

Dirtydoug, does this man normally run the trails with a blood hound looking dog? Just curious, I met one of these guys a couple weeks ago and was amazed at his abilities.

 

No bloodhound. He had a large dalmation that has since died and now he runs with a black Portugese Water Dog name Heidi. He's a Texan and pronounces it Hadie.

 

Thanks so much for the update. My friend Bob, who also runs the trails, knows him well. I keep thinking about him, hoping he will pull through. I still have the picture in my mind of him laying there in the street next to his bike. Hard to get that out of my head. Hopefully, as careful as we think we may be, will always keep this in the back of our minds and not be in such a hurry to cross the busy streets. My thoughts and prayers are still with him and his family.

 

My hermano Bob was riding that night with me when we saw the accident scene. The rider's name is Leon. Our group of friends spoke to his wife several times yesterday and we have a plan to take care of them and assist during his recovery. He's a tough Texan and he'll be back.

 

Any recent updates? The last update was end of January 2011. How is this guy doing...anyone?