Weekend Tally: 3 Bike Wrecks

A trio of accidents that killed one bicyclist and critically injured two others in Orange County since Friday highlight concerns that not enough is being done to keep riders safe, authorities say.

Although bicycle accident rates are declining nationally, “bicyclists are vulnerable,” said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Scott Brown. “Helmets don’t always save people. These crashes can be devastating.”

The latest accident occurred Sunday in Costa Mesa, when a fire engine returning to its station collided with a woman riding her bike near the intersection of Placentia Avenue and Wilson Street.

The 22-year-old woman, whom a fire department spokesperson declined to identify, was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana. A hospital spokesperson would not release information about her condition.

The collision followed two other bicycle accidents, both in Huntington Beach.

On Saturday, a man identified as Donald Blake, 40, of Midway City was killed when he was struck by a car as he crossed Beach Boulevard at Slater Avenue about 9:25 p.m. The car was traveling south on Beach and had a green light, Huntington Beach Police Lt. Chuck Thomas said.

And Friday morning, a 10-year-old boy, whom police refused to name, was critically hurt when his bike collided with a car on Litchfield Drive. He was treated for a major head injury and a compound leg fracture, Thomas said. His condition at UCI Medical Center in Orange is not being released at the request of his parents.

The boy was wearing a helmet as he rode his BMX bicycle on the wrong side of Litchfield Drive shortly before 11:30 a.m. The boy’s bike collided with an oncoming car, and his helmet flew off on impact, police said.

Authorities worry that efforts to educate adults and children--through bike safety fairs and similar events at schools and malls--are not reaching all riders.

Bicycle safety has been a concern among many cities throughout the county for years.

In Santa Ana, police have begun ticketing bicyclists who do not obey the rules of the road. They have begun the enforcement as part of an aggressive pedestrian safety program.

Costa Mesa police use a converted recreational vehicle to serve as a roving headquarters for officers conducting bike-safety initiatives and other community-policing efforts.

The Los Alamitos City Council last month recently voted to support Assembly Bill 1475, which would create a $20-million grant program for capital projects that increase bike and pedestrian safety around schools statewide.

The bicycle injury rate for children under 15 has declined more than 50% since 1987, according to the National Safe Kids Campaign, a nonprofit organization. But the toll remains high: About 63,000 bicyclists a year are involved in traffic accidents, about half of them under 15, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

And nationwide, nearly all of the 800 or so bicyclists who are killed each year are hit by a motor vehicle, according to the National Safety Council figures.

One Huntington Beach bike shop manager knows how dangerous riding alongside cars can be, especially in cities with heavy street congestion.

“It’s dangerous. People, when they’re driving cars, don’t look for bicycles,” said Mark Storm, an operations manager at the popular Jax Bicycle Center on Main Street in Huntington Beach. “They look for things that are threatening to them--another car or a truck.”

Conversely, he added, cyclists should also watch out for cars and ride defensively.

Some accidents are unavoidable, Storm said, and helmets do save lives.

“Everybody should wear a helmet--it’s the single most important piece of equipment that a bicyclist owns.”