Posted in highways, tagged CHP on April 24, 2018|
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Police are notorious for absolving drivers of criminality in fatalities involving bikes and peds. In what may be the latest instance of this, there is the case of a cyclist struck and killed last night by an SUV in Bay Point. Here is how it was reported:
A 34-year-old bicyclist died Monday night after running into an SUV, the California Highway Patrol said.
According to the CHP, the bicyclist was going east on Canal Road but was in the middle of the road and not in a bike lane. A 51-year-old Pittsburg man driving a Ford Explorer also was going east on Canal Road and was behind the bike, when the bike abruptly made a left-hand turn and plowed into the right-hand side of the SUV.
There are some troubling issues with this narrative. A cyclist is expected to move out of the bike lane into the middle of the road when making a left-turn. If he had already taken the lane, then his left turn was not necessarily abrupt. Of course, it would be helpful to know whether the cyclist signaled his turning intentions, but unfortunately he is not around to give his version of events. The CHP also reports drugs/alcohol may be involved, but that does not excuse a dangerous passing maneuver. Unless there are some other details not being released, this is looking like a case of investigators having windshield-bias.
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