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 the lawyer representing Heinz’s family and Edwards, there were both “avid cyclists, highly experienced and very seasoned riders.”
There was no information released about the third rider or the bus driver involved in the incident.
The route is a popular one among cyclist and considered a safe one. This accident has grabbed the attention of the cycling community as a whole.
Please visit our site for more information. If you have lost a loved one or suffered an injury in a bicycle accident, contact our firm at (858) 261-5454 for a free consultation today.
Did you know?: According to the Medical Examiner’s Office, ten cyclists died in crashes in 2012 in the Orange County, nine in 2011.
Bonnici Law Group, APC—San Diego bicycle accident lawyer