Two cyclists in California’s Santa Clarita Valley lost their lives in quick succession when they were both hit by cars in recent days.
One of the crashes happened on Friday, March 1. A woman was riding her bike when a car hit her. She was 61 years old when she passed away. The 50-year-old woman who was driving that vehicle did not get hurt.
The other crash happened on Sunday, March 3. In that incident, a 62-year-old man lost his life.
While the authorities are investigating the incidents, they have not yet arrested anyone. That does not mean they won’t, but fatal accidents take a significant amount of investigation to determine exactly what happened.
Meanwhile, a local nonprofit called Ghost Bikes has been painting bicycles white and putting them near the accident scenes. They attach bright flowers to the bikes, making the memorials stand out.
“We just want drivers to slow down and watch out for pedestrians and cyclists,” said the man who started the nonprofit. “We do this for our most vulnerable road users — particularly children, the elderly and people in wheelchairs. We’re all just trying to get home.”
Meanwhile, they wrote on their social media sites that they created these eerie memorials “as a response to the omnipresent and overlooked crime of cyclist deaths on Southern California’s car-dominated streets.”
These incidents underscore just how dangerous those roads can be. Cyclists, unfortunately, have to live with the constant threat that they could be hit and killed. When this happens, their families need to know all of the legal options they have. Cyclists who suffer serious injuries and survive may also need compensation for medical bills and other costs.
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