Anonymous
By Geo Duarte
Northbound on State Street right after the B bike racks in front of the 99 cent store a serious vehicle vs. Bike accident occured. Therefore, riders please beware of traffic immediately merging to the right a bit TOO EARLY before the right turn at Haley St. [This took place on Saturday 4/8/2023 at 5:30 p.m.]
A serious bike accident occurred today where a Ventura County visitor’s left bike pedal was entangled with the front right wheel of a vehicle that was preparing to turn right onto Haley Street. The rider was thus pulled down and sustained Injuries to the hands, arms, and face. Inevitably, his bike frame became unlocked from the vehicles wheelwell and the rider possibly rolled off and landed about 15’feet ahead of the drivers “quick” stopping position.
Update 04/09/2023: The injured e-bike rider initially declined transportation via ambulance to cottage hospital. His condition continued to decline and his friends drove him to cottage hospital where they found that he had ruptured his spleen, has a broken rib, fractured left cheek bone, and had serious bleeding internally. He underwent surgery, and is expected to recover. He will remain in the hospital for at least a week. His left pinky finger is also broken near his wrist.
Just as a side note, the e-bike rider was not wearing a helmet or a bright safety vest. The female behind him was not in the bike lane and was on the left side of the vehicle therefore she did not witness the actual collision and subsiquent fall sequence.
Be careful?
I watched it happen. This article has the facts all wrong. The motorist pulled over through the bike lane and hit the cyclist. The driver of the car saw someone on the street that he knew and veered off road to “talk” to their “friend”. The girl following the bike had to go around the left side of the car since it cut her off and forced her to redirect into the street. Once the driver got out of the car, realized he hit someone, he tried to get back into his car and flee the scene. Thankfully people stopped him from doing so and SBPD arrested him.
I noticed how edhat managmed to not post a picture of the driver, but they did however post a picture of the cyclist.
All of this story seems to be edited to paint a narrative that isn’t truthful.
It’s 100% the drivers fault, and the best part about it is, the driver was lying and arguing to everyone including the police to get out of his predicament.
Typical action of someone who lacks personal accountability.
LOCALMAN – thanks for the eye witness account. Sounds like the driver was a real piece of work. I hope he gets what’s coming and the victim recovers!
The photos support the validity of the article. All of the injuries mentioned are true and valid as per the female rider statements and supporting pics. There are more pictures. Your account of the events seems biased against the driver of the car. The insurance company will be the only one to determine what is valid and what compensation is in order. I was there and never saw the driver arguing with anyone. If he did attemt to flee, would there be charges for attmpted “Hit-and-Run??’
Exactly.
Exactly.
…Furthermore, I never saw the driver being arrested. Can anyone verify that there was an arrest?
Exactly.
And interesting there’s nothing from the City or the PD about an arrest.
Exactly.
Exactly SacJon! >>>>>
and you have the facts but there are still some people here that want to blame the cyclist. just stunning. this is exactly why i don’t drive downtown. because these people do.
Sac, he’s in serious hot water….i’ve got the info from a person involved.
More pictures on Instagram give a better perspective. @Xtek_Overload for KZAA 96.5 FM News.
Hope he’s ok man
I agree with GENERALTREE! While accidents will continue to happen as long as riders keep disobeying traffic laws, there will be more and more stories published. In the future planning of the promenade, it was my recommendation that the only motorized vehicles allowed should be wheelchairs.
Generalizing about this specific incident is not helping this specific case. The City needs to change how bikes, large vehicles and pedestrians interact in this Promenade Experiment. Lanes of travel are important. I was almost hit by a guy doing zig-zags on his bike. he looked so happy, even after I turned to cross the street and said WOW!!! The rider luckily bearly zagged out of my way. It can be Wild on the Promonade. ‘It SURE is WILD travels on that Lower State Street development.’ And add, at many varing speeds with very unpredictable projectible directions. Collisions may be inevitable till “solid” (K-Rails, tall cones, or orange poles lanes are in place!!!! Decades ago, they had traffic enforcement and pedestran gurads. Today, a solution may be to have a resurgance in comprehensive oversight of vehicle flow especially in the perimiter of pedestrian / human interchange on common walkways especially where much overlap occurs daily today on State St. With many differently sized modern vehicles and people interactin on the asphalt, “accidents” are bound to re-occur. Innovative solutions seem to temporarily be currently overlooked in S.B… In conclusion, If we are to maintain the pseudo-disney-landia condition, a serious overhaul of traffic must be conscidered by the powers that be in City Gov,
Love,
Geo.
This report has some serious flaws. First, there are no such things as “accidents”, this was a crash that could have been avoided. Second, the tone of the article blames the cyclist – why is it not emphasized that the driver of the car should be watching more carefully for bikes when merging into the bike lane to make a right turn?! And it is not a law to have to wear a helmet and yellow vest, why should that actually make any difference? Drivers NEED TO BE AWARE of people on bikes all the time no matter what they are wearing! Look and then look again before merging, opening a car door, Turing right or left. The roads are shared and drivers need to be more aware of bicyclists and other non- automobile road users! This person was seriously injured in an area with a lot of bike traffic and it should not have happened. Drivers are always in a rush to make a light, make a turn…I see it time and time again, no one is willing to yield, slow down and take a few extra seconds to make sure there in no one on a bike next to them or right behind. Next time this could be worse, next time it could be your child…slow down and share the road drivers!
Objectivity is great I agree, yet in this case, witnesses said the driver of the car tried to leave the scene—once he realized what he had done. And, more importantly the bicyclist was very very seriously injured. I am no lawyer. The Hit-and-Run-Attempt thing changes the entire narrative. Would’nt You agree? Moreover, photos show the car resting in the bikes assigned lane.
6:49am – “The roads are shared” – yet you exclusively blame the driver.
I see adults and kids all over town on ebikes – not obeying basic traffic laws, with zero enforcement.
ORVGULL – yeah, I see cyclists blowing through stop signs and red lights even when cars are at the intersection, expecting everyone else to stop for them, because they’re a special snowflake.
Come check out Cathedral Oaks on any day at any time. Traffic violations by cyclists are too many to count out here. Now, go watch an intersection downtown and you’ll see some of the same!
Bicyclists uniformly want to ignore all common sense safety rules and actual rules and then here comes the whaaaaa mbulance when they don’t.
Surprise surprise. Not.
I see car drivers all over town who merge recklessly without signaling or turning their heads to check their blind spots. It sounds like this was another case of that. A driver who just moves over and expects everyone else to get out of the way, because they’re a special snowflake.
Correct General Tree. Also see people openly stealing from stores because they know there is no enforcement or penalty.
It is what the leaders want, we should all be happy just to live here
Correct, Orvgull and 6:49am: https://www.independent.com/2023/01/23/cyclists-and-pedestrians-are-safer-on-the-promenade/
GT, do you really want to agree with ultra right winger Sail380 and their nonsense?
wow. so a kid on a bike is at fault in your world, when a car hits them. got it.
GT- highly doubtful. In fact downtown is literally where i live work and play. I see hundreds of people daily from my office window on state street, commuting to and from places on their bikes, ebikes and escooters and skateboards. I also do not drive downtown and am much more present around bikes than you. I see about 75% of people on bikes obeying rules. Sure, some don’t. Want to compare that to the endless line of drivers that aren’t following rules/laws and are completely distracted? You can say all you like, but the fact is a driver in a car is responsible for being aware and if you can’t be aware then don’t drive. No enforcement? Probably because a small infraction isn’t worth the time, whereas a distracted driver has way more responsibility and is behind a 3500lb moving vehicle. Look, if you want to keep arguing reality and facts, please go to the DMV and hand in your CDL.
As a daily bike or e-bike rider, I try to stay aware of my surroundings at all times. When riding near traffic, mirrors are invaluable. When I ride up State Street, I know that the cars approaching Haley Street have to turn right, so when the road is clear when I am past Gutierrez Street, I move to the left of the cars, so I can continue straight without getting pinched by a car turning right. One has to ride defensively and assume the cars don’t/won’t see you. In general, when approaching intersections where cars can turn right, I move into the traffic lane to avoid being pinched against the curb. I don’t know if they still have it, but Bici Centro had a good class about how to ride in town safely. I’m not saying this e-bike rider is at fault, I’m saying that it drivers won’t always see you regardless of the laws, rules, bike lanes, etc.
Legally, the driver of the car would be at fault. Sometimes though, e-bike riders can ride quite recklessly, and at speeds much greater than the automobiles with which they share the road. I am not suggesting that is what happened here but having observed many high-speed “almost” accidents between e-bikes and cars, I think everybody needs to practice a little more caution.
Agree, about the need for facts. One that is missing is was the light at Haley/State red so all vehicles should have stopped? Not that it was necessarily so here, I see many, many bicyclists blow through red lights on Milpas and area. And I see almost no e-bikers or others wearing helmets on Cabrillo or the beachway. Helmets are required for under 18. …But the fine is only $25.
SBDUDE – “Legally, the driver of the car would be at fault.” – How do you figure? These facts are so vague there’s no way anything “legal” could be determined. Could be the cyclist rode right into the car in front of him as it was turning right.
Most likely true, but impossible to tell from this description/photo alone.
“traffic immediately merging to the right a bit TOO EARLY before the right turn at Haley St.”
The car moved into the bike lane … it happens a lot. I myself was struck by a car that drove into me while I was in the bike lane (not on State St.), resulting serious injury to me, their license being suspended. and a big insurance payout. She heard a noise but didn’t know that she had hit a cyclist.
“riders please beware” of traffic merging…. Not a statement of fact as to what happened, just one of warning. Let’s wait and see the facts before placing blame.
Yes Patrick, awareness is important for ALL users! I too am hyper vigilant about my surroundings when walking, riding or driving but sadly not everyone is! Bici Centro, a program of MOVE Santa Barbara County (fka SBBIKE+COAST) has adult educations classes to help with learning rules of the road etc.. Not sure when the next one is scheduled but here is the link for anyone interested..good stuff! https://movesbcounty.org/adult-education/
I have sat on State Street watching the tourists on their rental ebikes driving like this was a Disneyland ride without risk. The young ones (teenagers for sure) have no sense of the danger. They do not know safety rules, seldom wear helmets even if provided by the rental, do not pay attention and drive very fast, often faster than the cars. I understand their enthusiasm but must suspect that most accidents they get into are their primary fault.
I’ve said this exact thing about pedestrians on lower State between the undercrossing and the pier, pedestrians and bikes act like it’s Disneyland. The cars aren’t real, they’re paid actors that would never hit you – wrong! I think the concrete pavement does not help, it says “sidewalk” not “road” to many folks.
seldom wear helmets? you’re so wrong. i’m downtown every day, and i did state that. the kids all wear helmets and most of them have been talked to by a motorcop. I know this for a fact as I’ve watched this happen and I personally know the motor cops. You seem to want to blame the bikes. First, you’re talking about the promenade. That isn’t a street and street laws do not apply. Past Haley street is where this post is talking about and it is an actual roadway with laws applied. That being said, you’re in a car, you’re at fault. Flat out. This is an older guy on a bike, not a kid. That is also irrelevant. Age doesn’t matter when a car collides with a bike. Behind the wheel, you’re responsible and as I said, if you can’t handle that responsibility and also to keep it slow, then please do not drive in town. There are more bikes, scooters, skateboards, joggers, strollers, dog walkers than there are cars downtown. Want to take a head count?
i commute daily on an ebike. from the harbor to mid town on State. I see endless drivers behind the wheel texting, ignoring stops, not looking both ways when they come to a corner….just where the cars are coming from, not where pedestrians could be. i’ve been hit twice. The area where he was injured is a seriously bad spot. Drivers merged quickly without signaling, merging fast through the bike lane and cutting off bikes. I’ve been tagged once there too, by a tourist from modesto. Blame bikes all you want, but when you’re in a vehicle, you’re liable and need to be aware of pedestrians, scooters, dog walkers, bikes and skateboards and if that’s too much for you, please don’t drive in our city. I personally chose NOT to drive in the city/downtown as it’s not very safe. I drive when i leave downtown….
Yep. It’s important for everyone to simply pay attention when walking, biking, driving. Wearing bright colors helps too. It seems like now that we are several years into the “no texting or talking while driving”, people are doing it again. When I pass someone on 101 because they are going 55 mph in the middle lane, it’s inevitable to find that they are talking on their phone or looking at their screen.
An ebike is in reality a motorcyle and should be subject to the same rules as any other motorized vehicle. The legislature should mandate helmets for motorcyles and ebikes. Why the legislature lets this loophole exist is unfathomable.
PSCHLAGE : You’re absolutely right: these are NOT bike and most of them respect no reasonable speed limit
4596:
” Drivers are always in a rush to make a light, make a turn”.
And bikers are always in a rush to get on the road, almost NEVER looking at what’s behind or left or right!
so you want to blame a bicyclist for getting hit by a person in a car? you’re just part of the problem. stay off the road and do us all a favor.
alot of you seem jaded and like to place blame anywhere else except the responsible party. I’d love for your to go talk to a police officer, specifically a traffic cop. Call Ed Kasper @ SBPD.
Kids on bikes bother you? You’re just bitter and angry.
Cars cause serious accidents.
https://www.independent.com/2023/01/23/cyclists-and-pedestrians-are-safer-on-the-promenade/
SNICKER – let me re-phrase that. Both car drivers and cyclists cause accidents. When a car is involved (regardless of fault), the accidents are usually serious.
Pointlessly pedantic
12:13 – ok, then this is also true: “Cyclists cause serious accidents.”
Implying that only cars cause accidents is just not factually accurate.
Obviously, both e-bikers, cyclists, and auto vehicles must obey the rules of the road. E-bike riders with personal cycles usually have the knowledge and training to drive defensively and safely. Any rider/driver turning right on RED MUST make a complete stop and look behind and around before proceeding. NO EXCEPTIONS, that goes without saying. That said, the closure of State St. has allowed SOME e-bikers, skateboarders, and bicyclists to racing through the streets disobeying the rules of the road, causing havoc with great impact on people’s lives, as we have learned herein. In November, I suffered (unrelated to an e-bike then) a T-12 compressed fracture. After a stay in the Cottage Hospital Acute Trauma Unit and then the Santa Barbara Rehabilitation Hospital (both have wonderful and dedicated people assisting patients), within days of my release, I was walking from the SBMTD Transit center wearing my issued body vest. I was crossing the street enjoying the right of way on the green.
As I approached the street apron, I was hit by an e-biker that did not yield their stop at the red light hitting me; It appeared the rider was not experienced in a quick stop. Subsequently, to already having suffered a T-12 compressed fracture which was on the mend, I suffered two burst vertebrae, a kink in my spinal cord, and embedded vertebrae bone causing damage and weakness on the left side of my body, with temporary incontinence, which apparently is a preceptor to paralysis. No Santa Barbara could perform my dangerous surgery, so I was transferred to the AMAZING Keck Medical Center at USC, where I received an approx. 8-hour surgery removing my vertebrae and embedded bone, installing a metal cage replacing my removed vertebrae, bone grafts, a sacrificed ½ T-12 root nerve, rib removal, and a fusion from T-10 -L2. I am walking again but will never be able to enjoy the freedoms that enriched my life’s happiness and livelihood before this hit-and-run injury (hiking, running, swimming, botanizing, landscape maintenance, and permaculture design). My degrees are useless now as I contemplate my next course of life, While I completely support the biking community, I feel strongly that a ten-minute training session in a parking lot is not ample time to learn how to handle an electric (e-bike) vehicle if a lesson actually given with pop-up rentals everywhere. A license is necessary to operate a scooter, motorcycle, or car. E-bikes can be equally as detrimental without the proper training; currently, there is no oversight of e-bike rentals. If you have a credit card, then you’re off…perhaps without any training at all, possibly endangering others with a lack of e-bike driving knowledge. A slight distraction, or slip of the rules of the road, can negatively impact innocent people’s lives; so slow down! Again, I support cyclists of all kinds. I am forever thankful to the amazing Neurosurgeon that was on call at Cottage ER, Dr. Morayeri, and her amazing assistant, Dolores, and to the Cottage Hospital ER Department, the Cottage Hospital Acute Trauma Unit, the Physiatrist and their staff at the Santa Barbara Rehabilitation Hospital and the Physiatrist and staff at Keck Out-Patient Physical Therapy Clinic, Paramedic Quinn and his team of paramedics that rescued me (and coincidentally and subsequently transported me to Keck/USC,) and last but not least, the Keck Medical Center at USC, and Dr. L’s brilliant team and staff for putting me back together again; I am so grateful to all and optimistic for my future. Remember everyone please be safe out there!
How in TF is someone downvoting this?
Beautiful Day, I am so sorry that you have had to deal with these injuries and the change to your daily life and future prospects. However, you clearly have a fantastic spirit and that will get you through to lots more wonderful moments in your life!
Day, I am so sorry for your travails. What a story. Best to you and your recovery!
there are no rules of the road on a promenade. its not a road. there are no traffic laws. call SPBD, they will confirm.
Thank you, I am an optimist and apparently more resilient than I thought I could be. I’m laughing because I just fractured my foot and received 6 staples in my noggin from a fall (neuro-surgery leaves one imbalanced for months and subject to falls) so I was privileged to be able to see my ER Dept friends again. I just laughed and said it could be worse. So when you see a woman with a walker, a boot on her foot, and a body vest walking down the street with a smile on her face, that is me. Not the worse moments in my life. Beautiful day to you and yours.
Thank you kindly, I appreciate your well wishes. Everyday is a new day, with greater recovery and lesser pain.
most of these comments and commenters are just way off. please refer to SBPD traffic laws. You drive a car, you have to be aware. if you can’t be aware, you should not drive. typical edhat comments. yall just love to gripe and blame anyone and everyone (aside of the obvious and responsible party). Its not even funny, because if you truly think this way, then you are a danger on the roads.