A street sweeper in San Diego struck and killed a cyclist last Friday, February 11, according to 10 News San Diego. Cyclist Stuart Peverly, a father of two from Mira Mesa, was riding in the bike lane on Genesee Avenue near Clairemont Mesa Boulevard Drive.
Police identified the driver of the street sweeper as 77-year-old Fred Franklin Fuller. Fuller owns Southwest Sweeping Services.
The bicycle accident occurred shortly before 5:20 pm last Friday afternoon. The sweeper that struck Peverly was traveling in the same direction. Fuller told investigator Ron Lemester that he fell asleep while driving the sweeper, and he has been working long hours lately.
According to SignOnSanDiego.com, the bicycle accident caused Peverly to flip over his handlebars. Peverly received treatment at Scripps Memorial Hospital – La Jolla for multiple blunt force injuries, skull fractures and brain damage. Doctors pronounced him dead at 10:45 pm that same night.
According to San Diego Police Officer David Stafford, Peverly was wearing his bicycle helmet and obeying all bicycling safety laws at the time of the bicycle accident. Peverly worked as a lab technician at University of California – San Diego Medical Center.
“He was well known at USCD,” said Torre Spencer, a colleague of Peverly’s. “He was a good, genuine, nice human being. He was all about his family, his wife and two children. He liked to bike to stay fit.”
It appears that Fuller was at fault in the bicycle accident, but authorities have yet to cite or charge him according to police traffic Lt. Rick O’Hanlon.