Please pray for the families of the cyclist killed this morning in Portland !
 

Van hits, kills 2 bicyclists

A motorist faces multiple charges, including driving under the influence, in the accident early today

By JOSEPH ROSE of The Oregonian

June 25, 2003

Police say the man who was driving a van that collided with a group of bicyclists in Southeast Portland shortly after midnight, killing two and seriously injuring a third, was likely drunk.

Lindsey Llaneza, 49, of North Portland faces charges of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault, felony hit and run and driving under the influence.

The vehicle was westbound on Southeast Belmont Street when it collided with the bicyclists about 12:30 a.m. today near Southeast 42nd Avenue.

The bicyclists who died in the collision were thrown and dragged by the van before it stopped, said Sgt. Brian Schmautz, a Portland police spokesman.

"It was about 185 feet from original point of impact to where the collision ended" near Southeast Belmont Street and 39th Avenue, Schmautz said.

This morning, one of the dead cyclists was identified as Orion Christopher Satushek, 27, of Portland. The Multnomah County Medical Examiner's Office was still attempting to notify relatives of the second victim, a 26-year-old woman, before releasing her name.

"The woman had just moved up here from L.A. a week ago to get away from the big city," said Terry Sparks, a deputy medical examiner.

Sparks said that when he called the address on her driver's license, "her voice was still on the answering machine."

Another woman riding in the group of four bicyclists suffered serious injuries and was taken to OHSU Hospital, where she was in critical condition but was expected to survive, authorities said.

Satushek and the unidentified woman died at the scene, police said. While a man on a fourth bicycle was not injured, it was unclear if his bicycle was hit.

Llaneza's van "swerved around the first bicyclist and hit the remaining three," Schmautz said.

This morning's fatal collision was the second involving a bicyclist in Portland area in the past week. The driver of a truck suspected of killing a bicyclist Thursday night drove at least a mile with the victim's bicycle jammed under the truck, police said.

Paul T. Hriskos, 45, of Southeast Portland was in a bicycle lane pedaling south on Northeast 148th Avenue at San Rafael Street when he was hit from behind by a pickup. Hriskos died at the scene.

The driver, Juan Diaz Alvalos, 37, of Gresham was arrested on an accusation of drunken driving.

if they are dead what good would it do to pray?

or maybe you meant pray for the familys of those killed as well as those injured as well as for the man who was driving the van and his family.

either way, it sucks that people died and some got injured. my thoughts go out to all involved.

This is such a tragedy, and in my own neighborhood, too. They were riding on Belmont street, which is a common route I use in that area, probably out enjoying the very pleasant weather we had last night. According to an eyewitness report posted on a local message board, there was a fourth rider in the group who survived unscathed only to watch his friends suffer and die. It's no consolation, but according to this witness Orion died within a few moments after the impact, and the other person didn't live much longer. This could have been me or my wife, or any other innocent person just riding along. I hope they throw the book at him, even though living with what he did should saddle him with an appropriately hellish existence.

See the links below for more info:

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2003/06/266995.shtml

http://www.koin.com/webnews/20032/20..._bikeaxb.shtml

pnj: In my religious tradition (and I assume in many others), we pray for the souls of the deceased, that God will receive them. We also pray for those left behind, that God will relieve their suffering. I'll be praying for all involved, and everybody here on BF too.

This is an awful story. Just awful.

I'm a diest so praying would be futile but we can be spiritual and contemplate and mourn for such a tragedy.

I'm a CHRISTIAN and I'll pray that God comforts those left behind.

Praying is an individual decision. However, as cyclists, all of us have an obligation to lobby for stricter accountability for all motorists and stricter penalties for drunk, drugged, distracted, and aggressive drivers.

This sucks! I hate hearing things like this. It's horrible!

If riding at night, have LOTS of lights flashing behind. Noone mentioned if they had any visibility features/ reflective tape, flashers... etc.

Ditto.

If it's discovered that this man had prior convictions for drunken driving, I won't be surprised if the cycling community here explodes in outrage.

Rest In Peace

Thank you John! I thought this thread was going to degenerate into one of those futile religious arguements. So far it looks like there's an appropriate list of charges. I just hope the jury on this one actually value individual accountability when deciding on the guilt of the driver.

Indeed. When the president said America would pray for the victims of the 9/11 attacks, that was fine, but when one of our peers does it, we try to make an issue out of it. And it's one that is pretty fickle compared to the deaths of two people.

May they rest in peace and I hope that the other citizens of Portland take heed from what happened here.

My sincere condolences to the surviving members of the cyclists families.
Some have mentioned here that visibility may have been a problem. My response is, if the driver is drunk, what difference would all the flashers in world make???
When drunk drivers are on the road it doesn't matter how much or how many safety items and practises you use. You are at RISK!
I would be surprised if this driver get any serious time for killing and maiming many people.
The courts may even pity him and buy him groceries and set him up in a nice home . I know, I sound cynical and jaded. That's because I am.

Praying for the souls of the deceased & the family left behind as I am typing this reply.

Prayers sent.

I believe in an eye for an eye. Put that damn drunk driver on a bike then let the families of the dead run her over!!!!

Not from me Chris, and I certainly think not from anyone else. I don't give any gruff over the subject, nor do I take any. This is certainly not the time or place for such an argument. I like to leave others alone on the subject, and be left alone on it. I try to be as tolerant as I can of others. I am sure that we all feel the same sense of loss over the senseless death of a fellow cyclist(s). A few months back, I may not have felt as affected by this matter as I do at this time, and I do feel affected by it. I have never been passive about anything that I participated in, and cycling is looking to be no exception. I am starting to think about cycling advocasy and cycling rights, the same as everyone else here. I am a pro-active person with whatever I do. I have no bone to pick with anyone here over how they feel about it. -