Image of intersection from Google maps with unidentified and non-involved bicyclist
Authorities reached out to the public Tuesday for help in identifying a motorist who fled the scene of a traffic crash that left a bicyclist badly hurt last week in Point Loma.
The 17-year-old victim was riding an electric bicycle and yielding for a left turn from Catalina Boulevard to eastbound Narragansett Avenue when a black Jeep Grand Cherokee hit him. This was shortly before 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 3.
Following the collision, the motorist continued driving and left the area. Paramedics took the bicyclist to a trauma center for treatment of serious injuries.
The involved SUV, a 2016 or 2017 model, lost several external passenger-side parts in the crash, including a mirror and front wheel-well trim, police said.
Anyone with information about the case was asked to call San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or contact the agency online at sdcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
An earlier article reported that the teenager was riding northbound on Catalina with a green light, waiting to turn eastbound onto Narragansett Avenue when the vehicle heading southbound struck him from behind.
17-year-old boy riding an electric bicycle was injured in a hit-and-run collision in the Point Lomas Heights neighborhood of San Diego, authorities said Saturday.
San Diego Police officers were called at 6:28 p.m. Friday to the 1800 block of Catalina Boulevard where they learned the bicyclist was riding northbound on Catalina with a green light, waiting to turn eastbound onto Narragansett Avenue when an unknown vehicle heading southbound struck the bicyclist from behind, said Officer Robert Heims.
The vehicle did not stop and continued southbound on 1700 Catalina. And the victim suffered a pelvic fracture in the collision.
Sources:
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Something is wrong with the facts. If the cyclist was riding northbound and wanted to turn east on Narragansett, it would be right turn, not a left. Either the northbound is incorrect or the east is incorrect.
Never disappointing. Always exciting.
Geoff Page questioning the facts if a cyclist is hit and it seems like they may not be at fault.
An OBRag classic.
It is truly deranged his myopic and bizarre focus on certain things. Sad, really.
What ” myopic and bizarre focus on certain things” are you referring to? Tell us, if you can.
I never said they may not be responsible for the accident. I merely pointed out a problem with the facts. It was 6:30 at night and the person was apparently making some kind of left turn meaning they were in the travel lane or in the intersection. Did the bike have lights. Was the person wearing reflective clothing? Doesn’t absolve a hit and run driver of course, but facts matter.
Like a fine wine, just keeps getting better and better.
Facts noticeably absent but not interesting to question since they do not put blame onto the cyclist.
– Was the driver speeding?
– Were they using a cellphone?
– Did they have a working pair of headlights?
Never change.
I hope the boy recovers quickly. Questions about the cyclist are not terribly relevant given that the driver fled the scene. Victim blaming in this instance is in exceptionally poor taste.
Try to read more carefully. I don’t care about any of that because we have already established the culpability of the driver. The driver could use any of those excuses, if apprehended, but running from the scene of the accident would have nullified any of those.
I am curious about the cyclist as I am sure the driver’s lawyer will be if the driver is caught and charged.
Greg, I too wondered about the facts. For the simple fact of wondering if the cyclist was hit from behind or did the Jeep driver start to cross the center-line and hit the driver. These things do matter if someone has an opinion on who is at fault in this instance. Also, you’re being a little unreasonable coming down on Geoff and projecting the attitude that cyclists are never to blame in an accident.
A 17-year-old on a bicycle was hit by a car and injured. The vehicle fled the scene making this a hit-and-run.
If your first thoughts/comments are wanting more facts because the victim may also share the blame, then that requires some introspection.
Actually Greg, my first thought was “how did this happen?” NOT “who is to blame”. Big difference. Take your own advice and try some “introspection” before blaming others…..
and I also thought “what a POS the driver of the Jeep is”. I do hope he is caught. Sadly, he/she was probably impaired. But since they got away for now, we may never know for sure.
Your first thought, regardless of the lack of information, is to assume the car was at fault for the accident. They were at fault of fleeing the scene but that is separate from the actual accident. Facts are important to some of us.
Editor dude, please delete my post above and use this one por fa vor.
When it comes to bike issues I pretty much always disagree with Geoff and have gone head to head with him on both here and another platform that shall not be named. But little things like time of day and which direction and location matter when publicizing an article. Nowhere did Geoff say the driver was not at fault and shouldn’t be held culpable. In this particular case it’s safe to say you are arguing for the sake of arguing. Kind of like John Belushi (as Bluto) asking “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”. Pearl Harbor no doubt got bombed, but it matters to be right about who bombed it.
Thank you for this article. As of Thursday March 9, the suspect has been identified and authorities are pursuing. ??Just to clarify for the commentators, Alex, the bicyclist, was traveling South on Catalina and was stopped at Narragansett waiting to make a left hand turn. He was hit from behind by the Jeep Cherokee which was traveling at approximately 30-40 mph. The driver did not stop and continued traveling Southbound on Catalina.
Just 6 days ago I watched a group of kids just up the road near Jensen’s taunting cars in the street. I stopped the activities of my busy day to observe. This group of tween boys would each take turns flaunting their skills while moving from the sidewalk between Cañon and Jensen’s and the island on Cañon. As their corresponding female companions watched on with admiration, they would stop in the middle of the street, wait for cars to approach, and then start dancing until the cars previously going 45+ MPH came to a stop. It can’t be said whether these little frogger guys were associated with the incident above. Maybe they were commemorating the tragic accident detailed in this very article by taking revenge on the speeding automobiles. But one thing is for sure; the Springtime doldrums with its incessant lack of quality surf is taking its toll on everyone. Including me.
I seriously doubt there’s any connection. That’s a stretch.
Update – The suspect has been identified and the police are pursuing the case. For the commentators: While you are arguing, Alex, the 17-year old on the bike, recovers in a hospital. To clarify, Alex was traveling Southbound on Catalina and was stopped at the light while waiting to make a left hand turn on to Eastbound Narragansett. He was hit from behind by the Cherokee, also traveling Southbound on Catalina. The driver of the Cherokee did not stop and continued down Catalina.
What a stupid blame-game argument, Greg. Got a grudge going perhaps? Give it a rest.
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Either the kid on the bike was northbound and was turning RIGHT to go east and was hit from behind from a NORTHBOUND vehicle, or was he ‘yielding’ at the that traffic light to someone turning LEFT/east in front of him and would have been stopped in the traffic lane waiting when he was hit.
But: “And was struck by a car heading southbound… that lost external passenger-side parts when it hit him.” Which would have been the west-facing side of the car when the bike rider was on the other side of the street, which is impossible.
This makes no sense.
You can’t be northbound and turn left to go east. You can, however, be southbound and do it. So which is it?
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Question: Do electric bikes have tail-lights and turn signals or, like real bicycles, you have to use hand/arm signals? I’ve never actually seen one up here as there are no mountain roads safe enough to use one on.
Of course they don’t sound all that safe down there, either.
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Being run over from behind by some a-hole who doesn’t stop is awful no matter how it happened regardless how how weirdly anti-direction the article was. May he heal fully from the broken pelvis.
sealintheSelkirks
As you know, there are different classes of e-bikes. Some are pedal assist only and are only assisted up to 20 mph. They past that requires human effort. I’d say those are still “real” bicycles. As to the other classes of e-bikes, rider do need to do this own due diligence. They as safe or dangerous as the person riding them. Beyond all that, I thin we all agree the driver in this story is 100 percent at fault.
Yes Chris, I remember mopeds when they came out. Never had one but did ride a friend’s now and then back in the 70s. They didn’t go fast and were awful at climbing Hill St. as I found out one sunny afternoon, and they were just to heavy to pedal uphill for that matter. No, I didn’t make it and turned around to go back down.
So the different classes are from regular bikes to that moped style modernized to pretty much a motorcycle level that goes faster than 20mph? Hell, hit the asphalt at 10mph and it’s going to mess you up…sort of like when we fell in a pool while skating. Worse maybe because if you fell off the coping you just went straight down to the concrete bottom but at least you didn’t get run over by a 3,000 pound car doing 30mph…
I’m assuming that the bigger classes are licensed and insured then? And have the mirrors and turn signals? Seems like they should anyway.
And yes also to the driver of the Jeep is 100% at fault here. I don’t think that was ever in contention.
sealintheSelkirks
The fastest class (3), they go up to 28mph with either pedal assist OR throttle. Up to that speed (like with class 1 and 2) the motor cuts off and 100 percent human effort is needed to go faster. Up to 28 throttle or pedal assist no license required. After 28 with motor power a license is required.
Sorry, Chris, until the facts of the actual accident are known, I can’t fault the driver 100%. I can fault them for leaving the scene and not stopping to help and for that, they belong in jail. But, it was dark and if the bike was not lighted, that might have contributed to the accident.
The kids cycling are crazy, but far more dangerous are the drivers in this area near Catalina. Never seen anything like it in all my years of driving, cycling and walking. No regard for pedestrians or cyclists at all! For a city with a laid back reputation, drivers are huge jerks worse than other area’s in California.
I’ve almost been hit cycling and as a pedestrian here 15x anywhere else. Just total disrespectful idiots. Fortunately, I know that motorists will simply run you over and drive away like this, so making a left turn on that street is something I would never do.
Even more ironic is a golf cart is going 25 MPH in a one lane suddenly everyone just relaxes and goes the speed limit without endangering lives. San Diego motorists are a bigoted dangerous cancer.
The problem is a lack of enforcement and that can be laid at the mayor’s and the police chief’s feet. The PD will tell you they have been told to make traffic enforcement a low priority because the under-staffed PD needs the officers to concentrate on other crime. Catalina Blvd. and Voltaire both suffer from speeders and I never see anyone pulled over getting a ticket. Nimitz is a shit show. Drivers are the problem of course but no enforcement only encourages bad behavior.