Advocacy & Safety - Santa Clara deputy sheriff veers into cyclists killing 2

14:37 PDT CUPERTINO -- Two bicyclists were killed, and a third hospitalized with major injuries, after they were struck by a Santa Clara County sheriff's patrol car today on Stevens Canyon Road in Cupertino, the California Highway Patrol said.

The collision happened at 10:30 a.m. near the intersection of Ricardo Road, said CHP Officer Tracy Hoover. At least one of the bicyclists was pronounced dead at the scene, she said. The names of the dead and injured were withheld, as was the name of the deputy sheriff driving the squad car.

Stevens Canyon Road has been shut down in both directions, from Balboa Road to the Steven Creek reservoir, due to the ongoing investigation, Hoover said. No other details were released.

here's the link, take a look at the comments. If that doesn't scare you, nothing will:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/09/BAKSVGTJ1.DTL&tsp=1

btw....latest reports indicate the sheriff was driving on the wrong side of the road and hit them head on.

FF

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_8513728

Sadness.

oh no... a hiway patrol cruiser hit 3 cyclists, 2 dead :(

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local&id=6009151

thats terrible. i hope the 3rd guy makes it through.

and i know this doesnt mean much to most, but in your post you say it was a highway patrol officer that hit them. it was a sheriffs deputy. big difference in my book.

Driving on the wrong side of the road and he's on 'paid administrative leave' rather than in the county lockup?

You know I bought a Burly Solo a couple years ago to pull my now 3 year old daughter around in...and although most drivers go way out of their way to give me room....my own comfort level with having her with me has dropped to where I no longer feel comfortable taking her with me.....and stories like this only serve to reinforce this fear of mine.... : (

It's one thing if I get myself killed doing something I love...another entirely having that happen to her.....

thats terrible. i hope the 3rd guy makes it through.

and i know this doesnt mean much to most, but in your post you say it was a highway patrol officer that hit them. it was a sheriffs deputy. big difference in my book.

Why isn't this idiot in prison?

Will he even get a traffic ticket?

I bet they promote him.

Driving on the wrong side of the road and he's on 'paid administrative leave' rather than in the county lockup?

Cops don't bust cops. The DA would have to have a warrant issued before one cop ever arrests another.

Why isn't this idiot in prison?

Will he even get a traffic ticket?

I bet they promote him.

Unfortunately little to nothing ever happens to the drivers unless they are intoxicated. Until there are some repercussions for careless drivers this kind of thing will happen. On my ride today I had several cars crossing a double yellow line and coming into the lane I was riding in. Where the accident happened its not unusual to see riders riding across the entire lane. Very popular route. I know my team rides this area often. :(

I grew up in that area. I am not surprised, the SC County Sheriff's are crummy cops (not all, but many). Their rookies especially always have seemed to have something to prove. About 5 years ago on a country road a rookie sheriff passed my friends car at 90mph (a 35 windey road) to try to give him a ticket. This was late at night, and the officers driving was very dangerous. The officer was unable to stop in time to catch my friend, and swerved past him and into oncoming traffic, then waited for him at the next turn.

So Sad...

"deputy accidentally crossed the center divide and struck three cyclists heading in the opposite direction."

WTF?!? was this guy drunk? did he fall asleep? and he's still getting paid? f-ing jackass.

More info at:

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8513728?nclick_check=1

standard

Unfortunately nothing whatsoever EVER EVER NEVER happens to the drivers.

Fixed.

I don't care if it was a cop, or a junkie, or for that matter a junkie cop. This situation should not go unpunished.

More info at:

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8513728?nclick_check=1

Your link doesn't work (for me anyhow).

Why isn't this idiot in prison?

Will he even get a traffic ticket?

I bet they promote him.

vehicular manslaughter is the most he can be charged with.

vehicular manslaughter is the most he can be charged with.

So where are the charges? Is this dude at Club Med now?

Your link doesn't work (for me anyhow).

Doesn't work for me either.

Did you see where his car was???? Damn, he had to try to get it up there that far.

So where are the charges? Is this dude at Club Med now?

DA wont file charges until the investigation is complete. his administrative leave is standard procedure until the investigation is complete. i dont see this guy carrying a badge for much longer.

You know I bought a Burly Solo a couple years ago to pull my now 3 year old daughter around in...and although most drivers go way out of their way to give me room....my own comfort level with having her with me has dropped to where I no longer feel comfortable taking her with me.....and stories like this only serve to reinforce this fear of mine.... : (

It's one thing if I get myself killed doing something I love...another entirely having that happen to her.....

+100

If this guy actually loses his badge, I'll eat my shoe. There's no way that other cops are going to let their buddy be severely punished for being gross negligence. If they did, the universe would collapse upon itself.

And the other thing that's great: He probably won't be personally liable cause he was on duty at the time.

Damn, you really have to not be paying attention to what you're doing at the wheel to get that far up the embankment. Wouldn't surprise me if there was a cellphone involved here....

Very sad news indeed... :(

Some of the witness's stated that he had fallen asleep.:mad:

Jesus Christ!

Watched the video over at ktvu.com

What the hell was going on with the deputy in the car that resulted in him on a wide open spacious road crossing the yellow, crossing the oncoming lane, crossing the oncoming bicycle lane and finally stopping on the opposite dirt?

Clearly from the video and a poster at sjmercury.com - blind corner and tight road in this area it NOT!

This wasn't simply a slip of the hands on the steering wheel...something distracted the deputy.

Jesus...I will be following this one...hope the cyclist at Stanford pulls through...

Don't watch the video if you have a queesy stomache....seriously...you'll see the wreckage of one bike that'll make it hard to sleep tonight...

=8-(

Fixed.

On friday they sentenced another driver to 1 year, in that case the rider survived after being drug 60ft. Still, way to light of a sentence.

The incident happened on a wide road in a county park with wide bike lanes on both sides. The police car drove out of its lane, across the oncoming lane, then across the bike lane, and crashed into the far ditch. Makes no sense. There is video of the crash site as www.ktvu.com

That area has the bit of slight uphill then downhill to Montabello where it's quite a sharp turn to the right. Has there been any mention of speed the car was moving at?

I ride this road all the time and in fact this morning thought about heading over Steven's Canyon to Mt. Eden, Pierce, Highway 9. Instead I drove up to San Francisco and rode over to Mt. Tam and the Marin Headlands.

Thought I'd post some info here...

Be sure to select RAW Video at ktvu.com homepage under the story pic to see a 9:00 plus minute detailed look at the scene...


Posted by GerritS @ sjmercury.com

Me and my biking partner arrived at the scene of this accident right after the first emergency vehicles. Contrary to the Mercury News artcile, there was no blind turn. The Sherrif's car had been coming downhill on a wide, gently curving section. It looks like he just went straight, crossed over the centerline, hit the cyclists that were going uphill in the far bike lane and then the mountain on the far side of the road. This group was cycling a few minutes in front of us. When they passed us there were 7 or 8 in the group.


Posted by Johnny99 @ sjmercury.com

There is video of the crash site on the ktvu.com web site. It appears to be adjacent to the Stevens Creek County Park picnic area at the north end of the reservoir. The road is wide and fairly straight with wide bike lanes on both sides of the road. The crashed police car (which was headed north bound) is in the ditch off the south bound side of the road. The police car must have driven out of the north bound lane, then across the south bound lane, then across the bike lane, then in to the ditch. There are bicycle parts visible in the bike lane and in the ditch to the side of the bike lane. This is a park road with few intersections and wide bike lanes. It should be perfectly safe for bicyclists.


Beautiful day for me has simply been ruined for me with this news...

=8-|

To me, the Mercury News article strongly implies the cyclists were doing something dangerous or somehow at fault just by being out there. jerks.

oh no... a hiway patrol cruiser hit 3 cyclists, 2 dead :(

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local&id=6009151

tragic news.

can we now move this to A&S?

To me, the Mercury News article strongly implies the cyclists were doing something dangerous or somehow at fault just by being out there. jerks.

Thats pretty typical of the mercury news.

tragic news.

can we now move this to A&S?

Yeah, probably a good idea.

I haven't seen the video or heard any details other than what you all have posted, It is a very sad situation. As for some of you, don't let your anger get the best of you, I have seen officers lose their badges and yes, often times it happens by getting busted by other officers.

Thats pretty typical of the mercury news.

That's pretty typical of the news.

Your link doesn't work (for me anyhow).

Mercury News links require registration or they become all brokeified and bustulated. People need to stop using them as a source. 8(

Horrible news, adding to a string of bike/car accidents in the area in the past few months. I ride that road on a regular basis - its hard to see how this could have happened. Stories like this make my stomach turn.

When I was working commercial EMS in NY we were obviously allowed to violate certain traffic laws with lights and sirens. However any accident that we had while on the wrong side of the road... all liability was waived meaning... we were 100% responsible the same way that anyone doing that in a regular car would've been.

I didn't actually read the article, but just keep in mind that (unless the cop was drunk or something) he/she is a person too. Im sure they feel absolutely horrible.

Something else to keep in mind is that while it was bicycles that he hit, this would also have been a serious accident had they been in a car. That is, you can read it and say "biking is dangerous" but when people head into your lane like that, you're in danger unless you're in a D9.

Something else to keep in mind is that while it was bicycles that he hit, this would also have been a serious accident had they been in a car. That is, you can read it and say "biking is dangerous" but when people head into your lane like that, you're in danger unless you're in a D9.

yet another reason why we need bike lanes with real barriers between us and the 'tards in cars. of course, most municipalities in this country don't give a **** about cyclists. why build real bike lanes when that money is better spent on new sports stadiums. :mad::mad::mad:

yikes, what is going on in the bay area these days? the four stories under the bike killing...

Man Plunges Down Elevator Shaft To His Death During Fight (http://www.ktvu.com/news/15548037/detail.html)

Two Males Gunned Down In San Francisco (http://www.ktvu.com/news/15547252/detail.html)

Man Carjacked, Kidnapped and Pistol Whipped (http://www.ktvu.com/news/15547474/detail.html)

Bones Found Friday Are Human (http://www.ktvu.com/news/15548370/detail.html)

lovely.

tragic news.

can we now move this to A&S?

correct.

Here's another news report, with both text and video:
http://cbs5.com/local/bicyclists.crash.sheriff.2.673306.html

"Witnesses said they overheard the deputy say he may have fallen asleep at the wheel."

Some of the witness's stated that he had fallen asleep.:mad:

Thats better than racing down the canyon road.

Cops abuse their immunity from traffic laws (plus the car not being their own property) and drive like jack-asses all the time. That is what came to mind first.

Falling asleep is about the only thing that could make this even kinda understandable. But even if it was something more intentional, that such an easy face-saver for the sheriff's department that the truth will probably never come out.

Its still terribly tragic. :(

yikes, what is going on in the bay area these days? the four stories under the bike killing...

Man Plunges Down Elevator Shaft To His Death During Fight (http://www.ktvu.com/news/15548037/detail.html)

Two Males Gunned Down In San Francisco (http://www.ktvu.com/news/15547252/detail.html)

Man Carjacked, Kidnapped and Pistol Whipped (http://www.ktvu.com/news/15547474/detail.html)

Bones Found Friday Are Human (http://www.ktvu.com/news/15548370/detail.html)

lovely.


just 'nother day in paradise my friend.

That Mercury article was awful. Here's a letter I sent to the author/editor:

Ms. Griffey,
I'm writing to express my astonishment and dismay at your account of today's collision in Cupertino that left two young cyclists dead. Here are known facts of the case: a sheriff's deputy drove his cruiser into the opposite lane of traffic, striking the group of three. Photographs show the police car resting beside the road, which suggests the police vehicle not only crossed into the wrong lane, but ultimately swerved fully over and off of it. Now, one would imagine that, knowing all this, a few glaring question would immediately leap to the mind of any journalist covering this story: how and why did the police car in question cross over into oncoming traffic? Was (as seems quite likely) the officer driving excessively fast? If so, did he have a legitimate reason to do so? Was he intoxicated? Was he asleep? One thing would seem certain: the officer involved has a lot of explaining to do. This is what's so peculiar and off-putting about your article, Ms. Griffey: you largely ignore the question of officer's culpability and choose instead to focus largely on two themes: the distress this incident has caused Officer and his comrades (never mind the cyclists themselves and their families), and baseless, impertinent speculation about the possibility that the cyclists may have caused the crash. You write that this road is "tempting" to cyclists, as if these cyclists were drawn, against their better judgment, into doing something reckless. There is, in fact, nothing reckless about riding these roads. So long as motorists obey traffic laws -- this includes driving on the right side of the road -- they are perfectly safe. You write that cyclists sometimes ride two-abreast, indicating that this practice can be dangerous and insinuating that the cyclists in question may have caused the crash by doing so. There is, as you ought to know, no evidence suggesting that the riders in this case were riding in this manner -- this is simply a fight of fancy on your part. But let's suppose that you are, by some odd chance, correct here -- how is this relevant? Riding side by side is sometimes frowned upon because it can make it difficult for cars driving in the same lane as the cyclist to pass; cyclists are often encouraged to cleave close to the side of the road to make way for faster vehicles heading in the same direction. These cyclists were not struck by a car attempting to pass them from behind, they were struck by a vehicle driving in the wrong lane. To speculate that the cyclists might have prevented this accident -- to blame the victims, knowing what we know -- is simply unconscionable.

^^^^Agreed^^^^

This paragraph is especially ridiculous:

"The opportunities for hill climbing and downhill coasting along Stevens Canyon make the road tempting for cyclists. So on Sunday morning four cyclists training for an event decided to give the hills a shot. The group collided with the deputy's car while the deputy was on a routine patrol in the area, Sgt. Don Morrissey said."

If this pathetic excuse for journalism bothers you, here is the email for the writer and the editor:

lgriffy@mercurynews.com

letters@mercurynews.com

Sad