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Another cyclist down... hit by cop.

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Another cyclist down... hit by cop.

Old 11-09-09, 11:17 AM
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Another cyclist down... hit by cop.

This is on my commute route.

The story is still being pieced together. I only saw the aftermath. It was not pleasant.

The cyclist appeared to in the left turn lane... but that was just where he was lying. No idea exactly what happened.

https://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=11469628

A 16-year-old bicyclist was hit and killed Monday morning, reportedly, by a police officer. The accident happened in the intersection of Genesee Avenue and Governor Drive in University City. Traffic in that area is expected to be backed up for at least a couple of hours.
https://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2...-monday-morni/

SAN DIEGO — A bicyclist was struck by a San Diego Police Department vehicle and killed in University City Monday morning. The accident was reported at 7:19 a.m. on Governor Drive near Genesee Avenue, San Diego police said.

A dispatcher with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said the person on the bike died at the scene. No further details have been released. Police are conducting traffic control in the area.

More details when they are available.
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Old 11-09-09, 11:20 AM
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More on this.

Details still being pieced together.
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Old 11-09-09, 11:26 AM
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Some of the witness comments to the news articles are saying it was an older man and not a 16 year old. Very sad either way.

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Old 11-09-09, 11:28 AM
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The comments on the story makes it sound like the cyclist was 60, not 16. Still, pretty awful.
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Old 11-09-09, 11:46 AM
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Odds on it being ruled the cyclist's fault?
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Old 11-09-09, 12:16 PM
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Some of the comments also suggest the cop was on a cell phone.
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Old 11-09-09, 12:32 PM
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Two local news reports now have the victim as a "a 60 year old man."

The ME is there on scene and this no doubt will be a long investigation.

This is also the only road through this particular area as local residents fought building a new bridge that would have connected a different road that terminates on either side of a canyon in the area.

Motorists can use either one of two local freeways, but cyclists only have this one 45MPH arterial road.

The cross street is marked at 35MPH and hosts two schools... one elementary and one middle school. Children are always walking and cycling across this 45MPH road where commuting traffic tends to be very heavy.


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Old 11-09-09, 12:52 PM
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F the police AGAIN. Worse than failure. 1 donut > 1 human life.
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Old 11-09-09, 01:47 PM
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Well, there should absolutely be video of the incident. Cops don't get away with this kind of crap anymore; I've seen plenty of video on youtube of cops doing stupid stuff now that dashcams are everywhere.
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Old 11-09-09, 02:25 PM
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Originally Posted by genec
Two local news reports now have the victim as a "a 60 year old man."

The ME is there on scene and this no doubt will be a long investigation.

This is also the only road through this particular area as local residents fought building a new bridge that would have connected a different road that terminates on either side of a canyon in the area.

Motorists can use either one of two local freeways, but cyclists only have this one 45MPH arterial road.

The cross street is marked at 35MPH and hosts two schools... one elementary and one middle school. Children are always walking and cycling across this 45MPH road where commuting traffic tends to be very heavy.


No 'school zones' at the crossings? Oregon has 20 MPH school zones even on busy arterial streets in these situations.
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Old 11-09-09, 02:33 PM
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Dash cams are only actively recording when the light bar is activated. not during normal operations of the vehicle.
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Old 11-09-09, 02:45 PM
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Originally Posted by ItsJustMe
Well, there should absolutely be video of the incident. Cops don't get away with this kind of crap anymore; I've seen plenty of video on youtube of cops doing stupid stuff now that dashcams are everywhere.
The nearby gas station has cams all over the place. All four corners have gas stations. I have a feeling something was recorded somewhere.

Not to mention that this is a main commuter route and kids were also going to school. I doubt there is a shortage of witnesses.
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Old 11-09-09, 02:57 PM
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Being a law enforcement officer, I sure hope there is some video and witnesses to the incident if the officer was wrong then he should have to pay the price just like anyone else would. I do know that there are some cyclist that do not follow the rules, but this does not mean that a person in a 3000 pound vehicle should not be aware of his surroundings. An it is even more important for a law enforcement officer to be alert and aware of his surroundings. I hope we do not end up with limited evidence being allowed in order to protect a brother officer if he was wrong. That would be a black mark on all law enforcement if it would happen. Like wise I hope that people to not assume ther is a cover up just because a law enforcement office is involved.
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Old 11-09-09, 03:01 PM
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The news footage shows a pretty nice MTB as well as a high end helmet. It is very likely this is an experienced cyclist...

But I certainly hate to speculate, beyond that.
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Old 11-09-09, 03:03 PM
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not only are LEOs frequently distracted by cell phones and radios while they are driving, most of the new police cruisers also have a laptop mounted on the dash

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Old 11-09-09, 03:10 PM
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Plenty of highly experienced, helmeted cyclists on nice bikes in the San Diego area make wrong moves and put themselves in the wrong place, all the time. Not speculating on who was at fault here, but fancy equipment on an older gentleman in the San Diego area also does not necessarily mean "experienced cyclist".
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Old 11-09-09, 03:18 PM
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Originally Posted by genec
This is on my commute route.

The story is still being pieced together. I only saw the aftermath. It was not pleasant.

The cyclist appeared to in the left turn lane... but that was just where he was lying. No idea exactly what happened.

https://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=11469628



https://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2...-monday-morni/
There is a lot of hate and anger in those comments. I haven't checked out the second link yet. Hopefully the comments there will be better then there are for the first link.
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Old 11-09-09, 03:19 PM
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The cop blames the cyclist, says the cyclist turned left in front of him.

https://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2...go-police-car/
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Old 11-09-09, 03:23 PM
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Originally Posted by RapidRobert
Plenty of highly experienced, helmeted cyclists on nice bikes in the San Diego area make wrong moves and put themselves in the wrong place, all the time. Not speculating on who was at fault here, but fancy equipment on an older gentleman in the San Diego area also does not necessarily mean "experienced cyclist".
True, but it probably doesn't mean "homeless person" just cruising along... (as was suggested in comment section on the local news.) In fact, the sad reality is the homeless person would more than likely use the sidewalk.

An experienced cyclist in this area is highly likely to blast through a red light. (one of my pet peeves BTW)
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Old 11-09-09, 05:21 PM
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OK the latest on this:
SAN DIEGO -- A 63-year-old man was killed Monday when the bicycle he was riding collided with a police car on a University City street during the morning rush hour.

The bicyclist pedaled out of a gas station in the 3800 block of Governor Drive shortly before 7:30 a.m., crossed the entire southbound side of the roadway and rode directly into the path of the cruiser, which was traveling in the far-left lane, according to San Diego police.
There is a Subway sandwich shop in that area on the corner at the gas station.

From the location of the body, it looked like he was trying to make a left.

I can't help but wonder if he was leaving the Subway, crossing the road to head north and collided with the cruiser that was heading south.

Pure speculation...
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Old 11-09-09, 06:02 PM
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My only two close calls in the past 2 years were cops running yellow lights "late" as I was anticipating a green while biking at pretty near full speed. In other words, by the time I entered the intersections my light would have been green.

Why am I not dead? Simple. I ALWAYS look BOTH ways before crossing any intersection regardless of light color or right of way be it by car, bike, or on foot.

BTW...I did not see any reason for the cops to blow those two lights other than being in a rush. No cell phones that I could see. Cop cars are obviously full of distractions tho.

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Old 11-09-09, 06:17 PM
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Rookie stroking the cop PC while traveling at an excessive rate of speed to an accident site hits and kills a cyclist. Knowing CA cops and DA's, I expect he'll go on being a cop with no blemish on his fine record....
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Old 11-09-09, 06:22 PM
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I don't know how it is out there. Local LEOs here tend to speed, tailgate, and otherwise abuse their office. And have caused some wrecks. Nice. Wouldn't be surprising if some LEO contribution to the accident/incident occurred.
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Old 11-09-09, 06:47 PM
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Originally Posted by genec
Two local news reports now have the victim as a "a 60 year old man."

The ME is there on scene and this no doubt will be a long investigation.

This is also the only road through this particular area as local residents fought building a new bridge that would have connected a different road that terminates on either side of a canyon in the area.

Motorists can use either one of two local freeways, but cyclists only have this one 45MPH arterial road.

The cross street is marked at 35MPH and hosts two schools... one elementary and one middle school. Children are always walking and cycling across this 45MPH road where commuting traffic tends to be very heavy.


There seems to be a lack of logic here, a 35MPH zone past schools

Around here, the general rule is that school zones are 40km/h (25MPH), although one street here is 40km/h along the whole length because it has 4 schools on it.
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Old 11-09-09, 06:55 PM
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Originally Posted by San Rensho
The cop blames the cyclist, says the cyclist turned left in front of him.

https://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2...go-police-car/
The cop was probably right, the cyclist did turn left in front of him, the question is what was the condition of the signals at the time. Did the cop blow through a stale yellow or red light, in other words was the cyclist expecting that the cop would be stopping for the light at the time. Drivers often do the same thing, they see a light turn red and proceed to complete their turn, to get out of the way of cross traffic. I've seen where people blow red lights and a collision occurs because someone is completing a turn. The condition of the light is where witnesses come into play.
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