Cause of the accident = Someone not paying attention. :) hope he has a speedy recovery

Based only on what is presented in the article, the cyclist would have been coming down Placer Hills Road and just crossed through the light at Lake Arthur where the road turns to Clipper Gap. As such, it is possible he was going 30 miles an hour after coming down that hill. The cyclist had the right of way, was going under the speed limit. The driver was in the wrong and should have yielded to on-coming traffic, whether that traffic is a bike or a car.

Cause of accident = Someone not paying attention. Please drivers, look, then look again - and save a life.

I hope the cyclist has a full and rapid recovery.

One of our people saw the accident. She said he was hit really hard. He's lucky to be alive at this point.

Why does everyone jump to the conclusion that the pickup driver was the cause of the accident. According to the law, he is at fault however he may not have been the cause. Bicyclists have caused many accidents that "they are not at fault". I too wish bicyclist a full and speedy recovery, but it poses the question maybe there should be some more saftey requirements for bicyclists to follow?

bycyclist drive me nuts. running stop sign, riding side by side making passing trucky, riding on roads wthout a shoulder.

Born Here: Cause and fault are the same thing. Your equivocation is simply a feeble-brained attempt to emulate lawyers who try to excuse guilty behavior by asking what the definition of "is" is. Although no one can tell from a news article what actually happened, it sounds like the driver turned onto the freeway ramp directly into the path of the cyclist, "causing" the crash. So far, it looks like the driver would be at "fault." Your unsupported statement that "bicyclists have caused many accidents" is just plain stupid. Take a look at traffic statistics and you will find that motor vehicles "cause" 45,000 deaths a year in the U.S. Go back and read that number again.

getalong: Thanks for admitting that you're nuts. It's getting time for you to also admit your diminished capacity for reason and getalong down to the DMV and surrender your driver's license, then sell your car and use the money for bus tokens. But before you do, take one last drive over to any intersection with stop signs or traffic lights. Find a place to park your vehicle and watch that intersection for half an hour, counting the number of motor vehicles that are speeding through red lights or fail to stop at the stop sign. Also keep track of how many bicycles you see speeding or failing to stop. The vast majority of lawbreakers are motorists. A human being, likely a highly productive member of society, was severely injured here, and some sub-moron like you uses the report to attack cyclists.

laughwithu: you really are saying alot and most of it is personal and attacking. i find it somewhat offensive and will forgive you. however, you reference to more drivers being a problem is directly and exponentially due to the amount of cars being greater. in the same vein you could argue that dui should be legal as more sober drivers cause accidents than drunk ones. if you want to get into a statistical argument i am game as soon as i put down my speak and spell to finish this. i am very observant of bikers and will give them a wide berth. it just seems that if a person is riding on two wheel and not four their level of vigilance should be dramatically increased due to the amount of crazy drivers and their ability to be difficult in sighting. same thing goes for motorcycyles. very sorry the person was hurt i try not to jest or find fault, but to say my piece. in the future however do not refer to people you dont know as sub-moron. it is an oxymoron. the diminished capacity you claim i have seems to quite evident from yourself when making such statements. and btw, i have never had a ticket or caused an accident save once at 16.

Born_Here: The conclusion is being reached due to the phrase: "De Glymes was traveling east, approaching the onramp at about 30 mph when, for reasons under investigation, the driver of a 1998 blue Chevy pickup truck turned left in front of the bicycle, according to California Highway Patrol Officer David Montijo."

It doesn't matter whose fault it was, in a bicycle/motor vehicle accident, the bike rider always loses!

commontater: It always matters.

getalong, you are trying to defend the indefensible by blathering about your self-bloated indignation that you now feel attacked when in fact it was you that began the attacking.. Your main point was to use the occasion of a horrific injury crash to attack the cyclist for riding, apparently in a perfectly legal manner, while that poor man is lying in a hospital suffering with his family suffering, too. But you thought it was a good chance for you to take a few digs at cyclists. That's what makes you sub-moron. Now you're trying to back out of your attack when you were challenged for it. You began with an attack so you got what's coming to you. Read commontater's statement above.

i never said he deserved it or that bicyclists should be run down. i stated my opinion that there some riders who pose a disregard for others on the roadway and present as a danger. the driver in this instance should have recognized this potential risk and assumed command of his vehicle to defeat the situation and its risk. not making "digs" being "indignant" or "defending the indefensible" if the bicycle rider was riding in the opposite direction of traffic as would make sense to increase awareness and vigilance on his part and be proactive on the roadway in full cognition of careless drivers he would have seen the truck coming and modified his course to avoid collision. for whatever reason, he wasn't and and for whatever reason the driver was oblivious to the same and a collision occurred. someone was hurt. very sad. hope he comes out ok and is more watchful on the road next time. same goes for the driver. you seem to have some alignment with the rider. vent your anger on someone else. and dont come to bear on me with your phantom statistics unless you respond directly with data supporting yourself. people on bikes on the road are dangerous SOMETIMES. even when riding in an "apparently" legal manner. this is an opinion/comment forum learn to play with and disagree with others without calling names or go somewhere else with it.

Laughwithu: Cause and fault are not the same thing! Example: As a motorist, I always try to keep the proper distance between my vehicle and the vehicle in front of me. If someone makes a lane change in front of and then stops suddenly and I hit them I am at fault in the eyes of the law. Did I cause it I don't think so! Please re-examine your statement.

My point is: A large number of bicyclists in this area are rude, incondsiderate, and generally unsafe! Not to mention they are committing violations of the California Vehicle Codes on a regular basis. I think it's great that people like to ride. It is a wonderful way to relieve stress, get excercise, and see what the country side has to offer. I do however think they should take a little more resposibility for there own actions if they are involved in, or cause an accident.

As far as the insults you have been hurling at me or the other responder, you are out of line!

Once again, I hope the bicyclist injured in this accident makes a speedy and full recovery!

Rich is a friend of mine, and I pray for his recovery.

Born Here: In your example yes, you would be the cause of the crash because you failed to take action and stop in time, and yes that indicates fault. If the other driver was found to have caused the crash they'd instead be at fault. You're splitting hairs in order to try distracting from the fact that you exhibit an unreasonable anti-cyclist bias. The cyclist was injured while apparently riding legally, by a driver who turned into his path and struck him. Yet you failed to criticise the driver! Instead you choose to attack cyclists. How much more biased can one person get?

getalong, here's what you wrote: "if the bicycle rider was riding ** in the opposite direction of traffic ** as would make sense to increase awareness and vigilance on his part and be proactive on the roadway in full cognition of careless drivers he would have seen the truck coming and modified his course to avoid collision."

The cyclist wasn't riding against traffic because that's illegal. Sub-morons believe they're free to make up their own nonsensical laws then enforce them as judge, jury and executioner of innocent law abiding folks.

getalong why don't you just come right out with what you wanted to say originally: that the poor man who got severely injured deserved it for daring to ride a bicycle on "your" roads. What a despicable piece of work. BTW, that's my opinion.

still with the names? really? maybe he should have paid more attention and he wouldn't have been that scoundrel making a danger on my roads. how dare he... is that better for you? ok. now call names. i deserve it...

You have labled me as having an "anti-cyclist bias" perhaps I should label you as a "pro-cyclist zealot". I am happy to report I am NOT "anti-cyclist". I am however opposed to rude, arrogant, self important cyclist behavior that leads to un-safe activity on the roadways. Please don't mis-understand me, I am not saying that the gentleman riding the bicyle was one of the aforementioned. The accident was a tragedy, and I am sorry that anyone was hurt.

I pose the question "Was there anything the gentleman on the bicycle could have done differently to avoid the accident?"

Perhaps a horn loud enough to alert the driver of the pickup of an impending accident. Bicycles can be hard to see and can travel faster than one may think. If he had a horn, perhaps the accident would not have happened? Because bicycles make no noise and have a sleek profile maybe the bicyclist just wasnt seen or heard when the pickup driver looked in that direction? Was the bicyclist wearing bright clothing? Maybe the bicyclist needed better brakes to stop in time? Maybe if Jupiter was aligned with Mars and the moon was in it's seventh sun, etc.etc.

Maybe it was just a tragic event that should not have happened. But did everyone involved in this event do all they could do to avoid it? Maybe, if you believe in God it was divine providence or intervention, to teach someone, cyclist or motorist a lesson? Maybe someone just made an unfourtunate mistake? Name calling and labeling is still out of line!

thank you born_here. hope the guys ok. i know the intersection like the back of my hand. used to ride my bike all over gods green earth in that area. bicyclists need to do their part and drivers need to be alert to them. end of story except the fellow that got hurt. still no need for the name flinging.

Rich - get well - and I pray your recovery is quick - you and your wife will be in my prayers.

laughwithu: you have more patience than I.

What is it with all the hate towards cyclist (born_here, getalong)? Somehow you think cyclists go out of there way to endanger themselves and the 2-ton, rolling death traps that KILL and MAIM hundreds of cyclists each year in the US.

The arguments you haters try to make is tiresome, untrue, and just rude - as if the rare encounter with that cyclist that just slowed for the stop-sign (not a complete stop? PLEASE - you are the BIGGEST HIPPOCRITES!), and then somehow rationalizing that such minor infractions justify or explain their disregard for safety? What? Cyclist vs. vehicle - vehicles always win. Cyclist aren't out looking for death and injury - wearing bright clothes, mirrors, protective gear, riding smart....there's only SO MUCH one can do!

FACTS: Driver misconduct outweighs cyclist error threefold as the principal cause of cyclist fatalities, according to a case-by-case analysis... Right Of Way. Improper turns, running red lights, speeding, and unsafe passing by motorists kill more cyclists than the leading cyclist infractions of running red lights and riding the wrong way in traffic. http://www.gothamgazette.com/commentary/93.komanoff.shtml

Please, do us all a favor, haters, stay off the road, or be considerate of you fellow human beings.

Read all the posts. Who started the name calling or downright insults?

Hoping for a speedy recovery for the cyclist

I don't think any of this conversation would be going on if it had been a car that the truck turned in front of. Only, because the truck turned in front of the bicycle. Ya'll keep on riding those bicycles, just watch out for cars.

tomackie: Y'all in cars keep watching out for bicycles---Vehicular Manslaughter is no joke.

I drive a car and also ride my bicycle, so I definitely watch out for both. Hope you do also.

This is Rich who got hit by the truck. I thank those of you who support me and appreciate your well wishes. I try to always be a curtious rider, I wear bright colors, wear a mirror to see rear traffic and as soon as I know there is a car coming I pull over to single file position and so do my friends. We alert each other of traffic. Sometimes we can't go over to the side as far as we would like due to roas conditions, glass, and pot holes, but we move as soon as we can. I don't think all drivers are aware of those conidtions and they get irritable quickly. I feel for the guy who hit me, I'm sure he feels bad, but I do believe that I feel worse. I was riding legally and way over to the right, he just didn't notice me and cut in front of me before I could react. Thanks. Rich de Glymes.

Rich; I hope you make a full recovery & best of luck to you.

I feel sorry for Richard, but I am stunned that this type of incident doesn't happen daily. Riding two or three across on blind corners on Baxter Grade, Ridge Road, Hwy 193, and so on is stupid if not suicidle. I understand they have the right of way but physics doesn't care who has the right of way. A 4,000 pound car is always going to beat a bike and rider. I am also tired of the arrogance of these riders. After following packs of riders for more than a minute I will honk my horn to let them know I am there. THis usually results in getting flipped off or worse. The locals here in Newcastle are getting tired of it as I am sure the riders are aware.