Category Archives: Bike Safety

San Diego bicycle safety best practices and California bike law information for help understanding the rules of the road for bikes.

One Killed, Two Injured in Pendleton Cycling Accident

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Dudek Law Firm

A North County Transit District bus struck and killed Udo Heinz and injured two other cyclists while they were riding through Camp Pendleton. The crash occurred about 1 p.m. on August 4. The cyclists were traveling on Stuart Mesa, a route for cyclists who are traveling to and from Orange County. Heinz, 43, was a mechanical engineer working as vice president of commercial products for TUV Rheinland Group, an engineering firm in Cologne Germany. According the Ed Buice, spokesperson for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which is investigating the accident, the bus driver tried to pass the cyclists, all civilians, near the Cook Crossing, not far from the base’s Stuart Mesa housing area. The driver crossed into the northbound lane before veering back into the southbound lane, hitting the cyclists. The second cyclist was John Edwards, a longtime wallpaper hanger. He suffered severe permanent injuries in the accident. According to…
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CEO of Connect Injured In Bicycle Accident

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Dudek Law Firm

On July 21, Duane Roth, CEO of Connect, suffered a head injury in a bicycle accident, according to the Daily Transcript. Roth, 63, is an experienced rider and was wearing a bicycle helmet, according to reports. The cause of the accident is unknown. “He was on a bicycle ride with several other people. He headed off the road and got a head injury,” said Ted Roth, Duane’s brother. Whatever caused Roth’s accident, it ended with him hitting a rock embankment near Lake Cuyamaca. The force of the impact was so great that it caused his helmet to break. Roth was taken to UCSD Medical Center by helicopter, where he underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain by removing a piece of his skull. After his surgery, Roth was placed in the ICU in a medically induced coma. “He will probably be in the ICU for four or five days,”…
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How Dangerous Is It To Ride A Bicycle In San Diego?

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Dudek Law Firm

In May, CBS 8 in San Diego did a story for National Ride Your Bike to Work month asking how risky it is to ride a bike in San Diego. The bike path along State Route 56 (SR-56) was the focus of the story. Cyclist Dan Valentine mentioned how he came within five minutes of being hit head on while riding on the bike path that runs parallel to SR-56 when a car came barreling through the fence. Valentine’s incident was not an isolated one. In 2011, while riding on the same path, Nick Venuto, a 40-year-old father, was killed by an out of control SUV that blew through the same freeway fence. Dan Valentine believes the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), who is responsible for the fence, needs to fortify it with a guardrail. Still, just fortifying that one area is only part of what needs to be done…
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