This is one of my regular training routes, the shoulder is between 4 & 9 feet wide. I am so PO’ed by this
VAN DRIVER SOUGHT IN HWY. 9 HIT-RUN
By Sandra Gonzales
Mercury News
Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police were searching for a hit-and-run driver who killed one bicyclist and critically injured another Thursday on Highway 9.
Police said the two men were riding east on Highway 9 near Ridgecrest Avenue about 1:35 p.m. when they were struck by a red full-size Ford van.
A 53-year-old man was later pronounced dead at Valley Medical Center. His 65-year-old riding partner is listed in critical condition. Police did not release their identities.
One witness who followed the driver told police the man sped away from the scene and abandoned the van in downtown Los Gatos in the area of Wilder and Bachman avenues before fleeing on foot.
Another witness also followed the driver and jotted down his license plate number. She returned to the site of the hit-and-run, where she left the note with someone at the scene.
Police checked the van’s registration but were still trying to determine who the driver was, said Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police Sgt. Joe DePrima.
A San Jose police helicopter and a Santa Clara County sheriff’s dog assisted as officers scoured the area, but the driver was not found.
The driver is described as a Latino man in his 30s, 5 foot 6 to 5 foot 8, with short black hair and a medium build. He was wearing a jacket and dark pants.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police at (408) 354-8600. Police also are looking for the woman who provided the van license number; she left the scene before officers arrived.
This is right down the street from where I live and drove past where they were hit. It left an aweful feeling inside that still lingers. I ride that road daily and it easily could have been myself or a close friend.
I hope everyone can take a few moments and pray, think, exchange energy, whatever it is that you do, and think about the friends and families of the two victims and hope that the one in critical condition makes it through.
I hope this doesn’t come across as self-centered. When I hear about people being killed on bikes it scares the crap out of me. I get a lot of anxiety when I ride because I usually ride on busy roads with wide shoulders. The less busy roads tend to have small or no shoulders. Even with the wide shoulders it only takes one jackass to not pay attention for one second and you’re dead. I try to tell myself this is an unreasonable fear but I get reminded too often that it’s not. I can’ t imagine what their families must be going through. My prayers are with them.
A man wanted in the fatal hit-and-run of a bicyclist Thursday turned himself in to Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police on Friday evening.
David Anthony Espino, 38, of San Jose was booked into Santa Clara County jail on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, two counts of felony hit-and-run, a misdemeanor count of hit-and run, and a probation violation. Police said Espino was accompanied by his attorney when he turned himself in at the police department. He apparently was the registered owner of the van that hit the two bicyclists on Highway 9.
The bicyclist killed was identified Friday as James Dein, 53, of Mountain View. His 65-year-old riding partner, Ted Aberg, remains in critical condition at Valley Medical Center.
Dein and the other bicyclist were struck by a red Ford van about 1:35 p.m. Thursday as they rode east on Highway 9 near Ridgecrest Avenue. A witness told police that the suspect drove away from the scene, leaving the vehicle in the area of Wilderman and Bachman avenues in downtown Los Gatos, then took off on foot. Another witness who followed the driver gave someone at the scene a note with the van’s license plate number on it, but did not stay to talk to police.
You’re not the only one that worries, trust me on that. A majority of my riding is done on roads with 2-3 ft shoulders with a large number of logging trucks. I not only worry about the trucks hitting me . . . wooden projectiles bouncing down the road at 50-60 mph as they fall out don’t instill a large amount of confidence when you are on a 17lb bicycle either.
I always give cars the benefit of the doubt and never push the envelope. Some roadies I know and ride with always ride the white line (where the shoulder starts) because trash washes over and across the shoulder. They are worried about a flat . . . how much are tubes anyway . . .