Details Withheld in Bike Collision With Firetruck

Acknowledging that the incident was being given special treatment, Costa Mesa police and fire authorities declined Monday to release routine details about a bicyclist struck by a firetruck as she rode her bike across a street.

Despite being an involved party in the accident, the Costa Mesa Fire Department initially requested and was granted authority to handle non-investigation aspects of the Sunday afternoon incident, including media relations. When the fire authorities declined to release details about the incident, police took over that role.

Now police, too, are choosing to withhold information on the two firefighters involved, citing “confidentiality reasons.”

“We are treating this incident differently,” said Lt. John E. FitzPatrick, spokesman for the Costa Mesa Police Department. “It’s a firefighter. We want to protect his privacy.”

The victim, Ceydia Lemos, 21, remained in stable condition Monday after being struck by the fire engine. She was returning home from work about 5 p.m. Sunday on Wilson Street and was trying to cross Placentia Avenue when her rear tire was struck by the firetruck. The firefighters were returning from putting out a brush fire.

The firefighters told investigators they “saw the light turn green, entered into the intersection, and at the last minute saw the bicyclist,” FitzPatrick said.

Lemos, who was not wearing a helmet, was thrown after being struck by the engine, which was traveling about 30 miles per hour.

After the collision, the firefighters jumped out of their truck and performed first aid on Lemos. The victim was brought to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana. Workers there did not release any information on her status, but according to FitzPatrick, she suffered no head injuries.

The involved firefighters could be cited for striking a pedestrian in a crosswalk, an infraction. Fire officials said they haven’t decided if either firefighter will be disciplined.