So far this year12 bicyclist and pedestrians have died in my county!!
Tuesday, Sep. 14, 2010
Bicyclist killed in Modesto identified
Hit-and-run car struck him from behind just before 56th birthday
CThe Modesto bicyclist who died Sunday after being struck by a hit-and-run driver is the 12th pedestrian or bicyclist killed this year by a motorist in Stanislaus County.The bicyclist wa**** from behind as he pedaled on Scenic Drive about 9:49 p.m. He was pronounced dead at Memorial Medical Center.
The Stanislaus County coroner's office identified him as Carl L. Robinson III of Modesto. Monday would have been his 56th birthday. His family could not be reached for comment.
Since January, drivers have struck and killed pedestrians and bicyclists in Turlock, Modesto, Oakdale, Waterford and elsewhere in the county. Half of the fatalities occurred in the California Highway Patrol's jurisdiction.
Not all of the fatalities involved hit-and-run drivers, and in some cases the pedestrian or bicyclist may have been at fault. For instance, Oakdale's only fatality occurred in March when an intoxicated man was struck by a pickup as he crossed West F Street.
One police spokesman said the number of fatalities appears to be too high for a county of about 525,000 residents.
"To me, this is too much," said Sgt. Nino Amirfar, a Turlock police spokesman. "We are not a densely populated county."
Amirfar added that the deaths seem especially high given how much education drivers receive about being safe behind the wheel and the dangers of texting, drinking and other distractions while driving.
Robinson appears to have been riding his bicycle safely. He apparently was riding westbound alongside the curb and with the flow of traffic, Modesto police Lt. Scott Blom said Monday. The bike had front and rear lights.
Blom said Robinson was struck on Scenic Drive midway between Coffee Road and Bodem Street in front of the cemeteries that line that stretch of Scenic. Robinson wa**** on a straight stretch of the road and under a streetlight.
"It was actually fairly well lit," Blom said. "It looks like he had the proper lights on his bike -- a red light on the back and a headlamp on the front."
Blom said officers have few leads and are asking anyone with information about this incident to come forward.
He said Robinson was the second bicyclist to die this year in Modesto after being struck by a vehicle.
He said one pedestrian, a 44-year-old woman, was killed in March after being struck by a vehicle in west Modesto.
The pedestrians and bicyclists killed in these accidents were of all ages, and there does not appear to be a common thread.
In Turlock, a 70-year-old man was struck and killed by a sport utility vehicle while crossing the street in a crosswalk in February.
A 16-year-old Waterford girl died in February while riding a bicycle. Ashley Henderson was crossing Highway 132 at Western Avenue when she wa**** by a pickup.
In July, a disabled Modesto man was killed by a hit-and-run driver as he and his girlfriend were walking home along the dirt shoulder of Hatch Road. The CHP arrested a neighbor two weeks later.
Also in July, Amy Lynn Freeseha, 25, was killed by a hit-and-run driver as she and her 10-year-old niece jogged along Langworth Road southeast of Riverbank. The CHP has not arrested a suspect in that case.
CHP officer Eric Parsons said the six fatalities in his agency's jurisdiction are higher than in a typical year. But he said it's difficult to say the numbers represent a trend because they can vary so much from year to year.
He said though these types of fatalities may be up, fatal accidents of all types have dropped in the past two years for the CHP. Modesto police reported a similar trend, with injury crashes down 21 percent this year compared with the same time period last year.
Still, law enforcement officials urge drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians to be aware of one another as they share the road. They urge bicyclists and pedestrians to wear bright, reflective clothing when out at night.
Blom, the Modesto police lieutenant, said there would be fewer fatalities if drivers slowed down and stopped making unsafe turns. Too often, he said, a driver is too focused on beating the oncoming car and making a left turn and not paying attention to the rest of his or her environment.
"I think a lot of this is preventable as long as drivers and pedestrians and bicyclists remain vigilant," said Amirfar, the Turlock police sergeant. "The bottom line is you not only have to prepare for what you are doing, but prepare for what someone else may be doing."
