Driver vs. bicyclist: 2 stories emerge
Nancy Isles Nation





HIT-AND-RUN CASE: Torrin Arnold, the bicyclist who says his vision was impaired in the accident, is shown outside court with his guide dog. (IJ photo/Frankie Frost )

A San Anselmo bicyclist who claims his vision was impaired in an accident with the driver of a pickup truck was portrayed as a fabricator and risk-taker by the defense in court Friday.
Torrin Arnold, 26, testified in a preliminary hearing for defendant James Arrigoni, the San Anselmo man who was driving the green Silverado truck at the time of the incident, that he boasted and made up stories when he chatted online with fellow bicycle enthusiasts.

Defense attorney Jim Collins' first question to Arnold was about his middle name. He took Danger as his middle name in 2003 and used it in e-mails and chat rooms.

If Marin Superior Court Judge Terrence Boren decides there is enough evidence, Arrigoni could be ordered to stand trial on a felony hit-and-run charge.

Arrigoni is the son of Peter Arrigoni, a prominent Marin resident and former member of the board of supervisors.

The defendant had a star-studded support network present at the hearing, including former supervisor Gary Giacomini, current Supervisor Hal Brown, former county counsel Doug Maloney and construction magnate Mario Ghilotti.

Michael Mejia, then an officer with the San Anselmo Police Department, testified that he responded when he heard there had been a hit-and-run on Red Hill Avenue near the town hub at about 9 a.m. on Feb. 26, 2005. He said witnesses told him they had seen Arnold motion to the pickup driver to slow down as he tried to merge left toward the median. They said they saw Arnold make an obscene gesture toward the truck, and then

James Arrigoni, right, appears in court with his attorneys Friday. (IJ photo/Frankie Frost)

saw the driver swerve toward Arnold.

Witnesses did not see the accident and could not say whether Arrigoni had run into Arnold or the cyclist had struck the truck, Mejia said.

They saw Arnold lose control of his bike and fall and two witnesses chased Arrigoni as he drove off. They caught up with him less than a mile away and yelled at him to return to the scene.

Arrigoni told police in a statement that he was pulling over to speak to the bicyclist after he had been given the obscene gesture and that Arnold struck his side mirror. Arrigoni said he pulled away because he did not want to get into a confrontation with Arnold but noticed him fall in his rear-view mirror. Arrigoni told the witnesses that he was going to the police station to report the incident and the two cars escorted him, according to his statement.

Arnold, who entered the courtroom with a seeing-eye dog, testified that his vision has improved since he first began to lose his sight shortly after the incident. He said he now can see shadows and some movement but has problems with contrast. He is a student at the College of Marin and said he takes online classes on a computer with audio instruction and uses braille.

He admitted to the rude gesture saying: "I felt that he had unnecessarily endangered my life." Arnold said he then heard the sound of an engine accelerating and saw a large green object approaching rapidly. He said he put his hand out to brace himself.

"I almost caught it but I couldn't keep control of the bike," Arnold said.

When he fell, Arnold said he landed on the back of his head and upper back.

He said emergency medical workers put a neck brace on him and loaded him into an ambulance on a backboard.

He was diagnosed at Marin General Hospital with a sprained neck, contusions and road rash - but began to notice spots in his vision the following day.

The condition worsened over time, Arnold said.

Collins read transcripts from several online postings Arnold said he may have written, bragging about run-ins with drivers and traffic police. One described an incident in a charity bicycle race in Lompoc, in which Arnold said he used a U-shaped bicycle lock to break off the side mirror of a Honda he claimed was trying to kill him.

"It was a work of fiction," Arnold said.

He said his postings about getting speeding tickets and riding without brakes were bravado.

"That is a place to vent your frustrations without hurting anyone," Arnold said, referring to the Internet.

Collins questioned Arnold about a number of accidents that he had been involved in and said that Arnold lied to doctors and refused testing to determine whether he was really visually impaired and why.

The hearing is set to continue Wednesday.