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Fatality at Stevens Creek Reservoir

Old 03-09-08, 03:06 PM
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Fatality at Stevens Creek Reservoir

Just came back from my recovery ride. My goal was to climb Mt. Eden and Pierce. However, on the way over, an accident scrapped my plans. Going southbound, right before the entrance to the reservoir area, the road was blocked by sherriff, and CHP. It turns out there was a bad accident, with one death, another with bad injuries. I'm not going to say much more than that, as I don't have the full details. It looks like a sheriff had accidentally mowed over a group of cyclists. From the description of one of the residents nearby, it might be a Webcor/Alto Velo rider.

Stevens Creek Dr as of 1:30 PM is closed to all traffic (meaning no Montebello Dr, no Mt. Eden). Reports say it would be closed for at least another 2 hours.
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Old 03-09-08, 03:09 PM
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Originally Posted by spingineer
It looks like a sheriff had accidentally mowed over a group of cyclists.
Holy ****!
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Old 03-09-08, 03:14 PM
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Yikes, very sad. RIP rider, best wishes for full recovery for the others.

Be careful out there everyone.
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Old 03-09-08, 03:16 PM
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Originally Posted by spingineer
... It looks like a sheriff had accidentally mowed over a group of cyclists. ...
Hmm, I'd like to see the spin on this one... I opened the thread expecting a gravel truck to have rolled over yet another rider.
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Old 03-09-08, 03:17 PM
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A Sheriff? Ah great now even less then usual will be done.
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Old 03-09-08, 03:23 PM
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These are the details being reported so far:

https://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_8513728
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Old 03-09-08, 04:22 PM
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Here's a new article from the Mercury-News: https://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_8513728
It says the sheriff was driving on the wrong side of the road and hit the cyclists head-on.



Two bicyclists struck and killed by sheriff's vehicle in Cupertino
By Leslie Griffy
Mercury News
Article Launched: 03/09/2008 12:21:11 PM PDT

Two bicyclists were killed when a Santa Clara County Sheriff's patrol car hit them on Stevens Canyon Road in Cupertino shortly before 10:30 a.m. today, authorities said.

A third cyclist was seriously injured and is being treated at Stanford Medical Center.

The identifies of the three cyclists and the deputy involved were not immediately released, but CHP officer Todd Thibodeau said a 29-year-old man died at the scene and a 30-year-old woman died as she was being flown to Stanford Medical Center. He said a 20-year-old man was injured.

The sheriff's office said in a statement that a deputy was driving north on Stevens Canyon Road near Montebello Road when his vehicle crossed the center line and hit the three cyclists, who were riding south.

The deputy immediately called for medial assistance and began administering medical aid. The deputy involved will be placed on routine administrative leave pending an investigation by the CHP, the department said.

CHP officer Tracey Hoover said the CHP has closed Stevens Canyon Road in both directions from Balboa Road to the entrance to the Stevens Creek Reservoir.

The CHP is asking anyone who witnessed the crash to contact the Officer Bowen at (408) 467-5354 ext.337.

Contact Leslie Griffy at lgriffy@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5945.

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Old 03-09-08, 04:27 PM
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grim details...

The sheriff's office said in a statement that a deputy was driving north on Stevens Canyon Road near Montebello Road when his vehicle crossed the center line and hit the three cyclists, who were riding south.

https://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8513728

I had a ranger cross the center line in front of me on Metcalf last Thursday, although he was driving slowly and had his roof top emergency lights on. I was a bit confused at the time, and it is hard for me to stop on a 12-15% uphill grade. I went around his truck, and he jumped out with a can of spray paint. He was covering up some graffiti on a road side fence.

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Old 03-09-08, 04:45 PM
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Cripes, that's awful.

Best wishes to the injured.
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Old 03-09-08, 04:52 PM
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Wow this shocking, RIP those involved,

I was nudged by a cop car in Daly City last week going up John Daly BLVD, Ahhhhhhrrrrr
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Old 03-09-08, 06:09 PM
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I just saw the news on KRON 4. This is so sad! My prayers and thoughts go out to the victims and their families. Be care everyone!
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Old 03-09-08, 06:29 PM
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What a horrible tragedy. Steven's canyon is such a busy cycling route with tons of riders out on a beautiful day like this. I am hoping but am not confident that justice will be served in this case. Condolences to the families of the victims.
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Old 03-09-08, 06:44 PM
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I came southbound on stevens canyon around 12:30 and got stopped by a deputy. He directed me around the closed section via a trail that came back out on the road about 50 yards from the scene. Pretty grim and not something I want to see again. I feel very sad for the riders & their families. Great day for a ride up to that point...
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Old 03-09-08, 07:55 PM
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There is video of the crash site on www.ktvu.com
The crash occurred near the picnic grounds in Stevens Creek County Park. The police car didn't just cross the center line. It crossed through the oncoming lane, then across the bike lane, and crashed into the ditch on the far side of the road. At the crash site, the road was wide with wide bike lanes on both sides. Doesn't make any sense to me.
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Old 03-09-08, 08:12 PM
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Originally Posted by johnny99
There is video of the crash site on www.ktvu.com
The crash occurred near the picnic grounds in Stevens Creek County Park. The police car didn't just cross the center line. It crossed through the oncoming lane, then across the bike lane, and crashed into the ditch on the far side of the road. At the crash site, the road was wide with wide bike lanes on both sides. Doesn't make any sense to me.
It does if you ever seen what cops do in their cars: Talk on cellphones, fiddle with their radio, fiddle with their on board computer, eat. Cops car has more distractions inside then soccer moms minivan full of yapping kids.

Anyone had a chance to read latest SFGate article. PR BS already began: "officer offered CPR", "very distraught", "On leave", "windy (ha?) road".
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Old 03-09-08, 08:51 PM
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If you really want to see a journalist doing backflips to portray the sheriff's department in a sympathetic light and cyclists in a they-were-asking-for-it one, read the latest version of the SJ Mercury article.
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Old 03-09-08, 09:04 PM
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A tragedy.
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Old 03-09-08, 09:05 PM
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Originally Posted by SesameCrunch
Dude. I don't understand your point. You don't think that there's a possibility that the police officer could be "very distraught", or that he offered assistance, or that the road was windy, or that he has been placed on leave?
Yes, it's important that we not jump too quickly into some kind of "****ing pigs, man!" mode. It's terrible to think of, but accidents do happen. Note that I'm not jumping in the opposite direction toward unwavering support of the police, either.

No matter what happens, the officer has to live the rest of his life knowing that he ended two lives, and likely changed another permanently. No matter what happens, two families are suddenly without a member. Assigning blame isn't going to change any of this.
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Old 03-09-08, 09:08 PM
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Wow, this is really, really sad. I was riding toward there this afternoon when some people told me the road was closed, but I had no idea what had happened.

The last few lines of that Mercury News article are practically a non-sequitur. What does riding two-abreast, which the reporter points out "is not illegal but can be extremely dangerous," have to do with a car going across the center line and hitting cyclists in the other lane? It comes across a little bit like a cheap shot against cyclists, especially in light of the day's tragedy.
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Old 03-09-08, 09:14 PM
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I hate to bring this up but this accident reminds me too much of that teen downloading a ring tone and unknowingly drifted to the other side of the road, into the bike lane and killing a cyclist. It just doesn't make sense why a car will drift so much without a driver reacting to the situation. Either the car completely lost its ability to steer or the driver is so distracted that he/she did not know what was going on.

Very sad. RIP cyclists. God Bless your souls.
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Old 03-09-08, 09:24 PM
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I wonder if the cop was just cruising through the park where it was all nice and quiet, where nobody bothers anyone, and just kinda forgot to pay attention...I know some of the corners up there can sneak up on a driver if you're not paying attention. What a sad day for bay area cyclists. San Francisco, Oakland, and Santa Clara all caught up in this one incident. I really hope it was more than just driver distraction.
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Old 03-09-08, 09:33 PM
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Old 03-09-08, 09:40 PM
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Originally Posted by damnpoor
I wonder if the cop was just cruising through the park where it was all nice and quiet, where nobody bothers anyone, and just kinda forgot to pay attention...I know some of the corners up there can sneak up on a driver if you're not paying attention. What a sad day for bay area cyclists. San Francisco, Oakland, and Santa Clara all caught up in this one incident. I really hope it was more than just driver distraction.
Rumor has it that he fell asleep. If ya watch the video, that makes alot of sense.
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Old 03-09-08, 09:46 PM
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My letter to the reporter and the editors of the Merc News


"Two bicyclists struck and killed by sheriff's vehicle in Cupertino" had a tone that made me very uncomfortable. The picture painted by the reporter was so one sided I was shocked. If this had been a van of children would the article have taken the same tack?

"The group collided with the deputy's car while the deputy was on a routine patrol in the area,"

What? He crossed the road into another lane. They didn't collided, he hit them. You make the cyclists seem somehow at least partly at fault. Why not say "he ran into a group of cyclists."

Even if it's a quote a reporter shouldn't let your source get away with spinning them like that.

" Local cyclists noted that riders in large groups will sometimes ride two-abreast. The practice is not illegal but can be extremely dangerous on narrow, winding roads with a large amount of traffic."

This matters how? It reads as though you are attempting to shift possible blame. Why would you include this in your short article? How does it in any way make what happened more clear?

If the sheriff had hit a van of kids would you point out some parents turn and yell at their kids, which can be dangerous, though not illegal?

Just because the sheriff has a spokesman and the dead cyclists don't doesn't mean you should just regurgitate what the official spokesperson says.

I expect more form the Merc.
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Old 03-09-08, 10:03 PM
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This article is much better than the Mercury-News article:
https://cbs5.com/local/bicyclists.cra....2.673306.html

The deceased were named as Kristy Gough, who was training for the Olympics and Matt Peterson of the Roaring Mouse racing team.

Witnesses say the deputy admitted falling asleep at the wheel.
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