# Bicyclist dies in Saratoga



## Jeffh (Oct 4, 2006)

Found this sad news in the Mercury today. :sad: 


Bicyclist dies in Saratoga after collision with parked SUV
Bay City News Service
Article Launched: 06/23/2007 03:24:19 PM PDT


A bicyclist died today in Saratoga after he rear-ended a parked sport-utility vehicle and crashed through the SUV's back window, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Ed Wise reported.
Sheriff's deputies responded about 12:30p.m. to the westbound Saratoga Avenue and Lawrence Expressway in Saratoga.

Witnesses say the driver of a Toyota Highlander had pulled over to the shoulder of the road, Wise said, when the bicyclist, who was riding west on Saratoga Avenue at an unknown speed, rear-ended the SUV.

Wise said the bicyclist went through the rear window of the vehicle, apparently causing a fatal injury. The bicyclist, a man believed to be in his mid-30s, died at the scene, Wise said.

Wise reported there is a designated bicycle lane in the area where the collision occurred, but it is not yet clear whether the bicyclist was in the designated lane or if the Toyota was partially in the bicycle lane or fully on the shoulder of the road.

Sheriff's deputies are looking into what caused the crash and the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office is investigating the bicyclist's death.

No arrests have been made in relation to the collision, Wise said.


http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6213933?source=rss


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## barbedwire (Dec 3, 2005)

Sounds like foul play to me. The article says that the driver _just pulled over_ before the collision implying that the driver intentionally tried to intimidate the cyclist. The driver probably didn't know that his actions would lead to the death of that young man.


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## 23mjm (Apr 9, 2007)

barbedwire--wow talk about jumping to conclusions!!!! How about the drive was lost and pulled over to figure out were they are or the driver pulled over to wait for a parking spot to open up and the cyclist wasn't paying attention and hit the SUV. With that little information how could you place blame?


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

I believe the cyclist was Neil Oda. I grew up with him. I still live two door down from his parents, and I just got back from paying my condolences. I didn't even know he was a cyclist until a neighbor told me he was killed on Skyline today. Neil was a good guy. He had a real spark. If anyone has any details please post them. Thanks.


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## snapdragen (Jan 28, 2004)

From the Mercury News - still not much info:

"A bicyclist was killed Saturday afternoon on Saratoga Avenue after he ran into a parked sport-utility vehicle and crashed through the rear window, a Santa Clara County sheriff's spokesman said.

The driver of the SUV was in the vehicle at the time of the accident, Sgt. Ed Wise said.

The bicyclist, a man in his mid-30s, suffered severe neck injuries when he went through the window, Wise said. He died at the scene.

The man was wearing bike gear, including a helmet and clip-in bicycle shoes, and was riding a road bike, which was snapped in half from the force of the impact, Wise said. The bicyclist was not carrying identification, so his name is not yet known.

Witnesses told sheriff's deputies that the Toyota Highlander, driven by a man in his 60s, had just pulled over and parked on the shoulder of westbound Saratoga Avenue past Lawrence Expressway in Saratoga when the accident occurred.

"Either the bicyclist didn't see the car, or he couldn't stop in time," Wise said. "That is still being investigated." 

Wise said investigators do not believe there had been a previous altercation between the two that may have caused the driver to stop.

There is a bike lane on that stretch of Saratoga, he said, but it was unclear if the vehicle was partially in the lane or pulled entirely over onto the shoulder.

"Right now, it just appears to be an accident," Wise said. The driver of the SUV was not identified, and no arrests have been made, he said. "Understandably, he is quite upset.""


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## I am The Edge (Jul 27, 2004)

barbedwire said:


> Sounds like foul play to me. The article says that the driver _just pulled over_ before the collision implying that the driver intentionally tried to intimidate the cyclist. The driver probably didn't know that his actions would lead to the death of that young man.



hey perry mason, where is jimmy hoffa?


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

I can't imagine two cyclists killed in Northern California the same way near the same area, but the Mercury News article is different than what I was told (and I guess it's understandable). I was pretty upset myself and didn't see the different details until the second time I read it. I was told that Neil was up on Skyline when he hit a parked car, and I can understand that because Skyline has some pretty fast descents. What I'm curious about is that the SJMN said it happened Westbound on Saratoga Ave. past Lawrence Exp.- that's going uphill. It doesn't look steep, but it's still going uphill, and that seems strange. So did anyone see the emergency equipment and know exactly where it happened? Maybe I'm just upset, but it seems odd that someone would be able to go through the back window of a vehicle on a climb.


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## dougn (Jun 9, 2004)

it happend close to lawrence and saratoga ave, on saratoga ave, south bound, basically flat. i live real close by


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

The Mercury news comments are good. I'm attaching them here.

There's two possibilities:
- the car was parked in a safe spot the whole time, clear of bike lane. The cyclist made a huge mistake and rear-ended the Toyota Highlander.

- the car abruptly pulled in front of the cyclist, stopped on the shoulder or on the bike lane and the cyclist slammed on to the back of the SUV.

Both are possibilities. I have a hard time believing Scenario #1. As a cyclist, parked cars are a huge concern. One of the biggest things to avoid is getting doored (driver opening the door on a cyclist). Every week, I teach my little kids, to watch the parked cars as we ride around the block.

Dead cyclists can't talk so we need to help out and be their voice.

The facts in this case will be hard to come by. This might be the last time we even hear about it in the news.

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*Comments*​ 
<table class="pfMsgDisplayTable"><tbody><tr><td class="pfMsgBody" colspan="2"> This is a very poor article. While I realize that it is impossible to say what happened based on the information you had at the time of publication, the diction and logic of your article suggests that the cyclist, rather than the driver, was at fault -- for instance, it very well may have been that the SUV pulled over abruptly, and stopped in the bike lane (a fact you only sniff at late in the article) whereby the cause of the accident is the driver, not the cyclist who ('travelling at an unknown speed', which also not-so-subtly suggests it was his fault) 'ran into a parked car.' The context and details about that state, the state of being 'parked,' are absent here. Look, overall this article ends up OK, but the logic and language throughout suggest that the cyclist was at fault and does not address the timing, which is key here, that led to this very unfortunate death. 

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6/23/2007 6:22 PM
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<table class="pfMsgDisplayTable"><tbody><tr><td class="pfMsgBody" colspan="2"> This article is very confusing. Cars go so fast on this road that the driver must have just passed the bicyclists before he pulled over right in front of the bicyclist. Why did the driver stop at this location? Is parking even legal there? Certainly, cutting someone off is not legal. 

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6/23/2007 8:18 PM
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<table class="pfMsgDisplayTable"><tbody><tr><td class="pfMsgBody" colspan="2"> Aside from the reporting aspect -- I happened by the scene around 1:30 this afternoon. I was on the other side of Saratoga and saw the police activity. I knew that someone was killed because the cop cars were boxed around trying to block the yellow tarp. I didn't see the SUV, but my 1st thought it had to be a bicyclist. The site was well beyond the intersection of Lawrence & the even busier junction of Prospect. I hope it was only a tragic accident. The reason I don't enjoy riding my bike on public streets is that it's hard to"share the road" --My condolensces to the rider and his family. 

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 Posted by: Murphy









6/23/2007 9:10 PM
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<table class="pfMsgDisplayTable"><tbody><tr><td class="pfMsgBody" colspan="2"> I hate hearing these stories. Folks are trying to be healthy and help the environment and things like this happen. But accidents are just a part of life. The car always wins. I just started biking periodically to work for the exercise and because quite a bit of my co-workers do too and these things make me wonder if I should not. I'm sorry for the person and the family and friends. 

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6/24/2007 12:21 AM
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<table class="pfMsgDisplayTable"><tbody><tr><td class="pfMsgBody" colspan="2"> The bicyclist was one of my best friends and tragedy is only the tip of the iceberg. He was a great man, a great husband, a great father and a great friend. He will truly be missed. 

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6/24/2007 6:23 AM
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<table class="pfMsgDisplayTable"><tbody><tr><td class="pfMsgBody" colspan="2"> Poorly written story. Another example of lousy Merc reporting. 

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 Posted by: Dan









6/24/2007 7:54 AM
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<table class="pfMsgDisplayTable"><tbody><tr><td class="pfMsgBody" colspan="2"> This is terribly sad and underscores the need for both drivers and cyclists to take more caution around one another. Just because you're wearing spandex and a helmet, you're not a superhero - cyclists and motorists can both benefit from realizing this. 

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 Posted by: Lee








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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

I just sent this email to Sergeant Ed Wise who was quoted in the Mercury News-
__________ 

Sergeant Ed Wise,
Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Media Relations Unit;

You were quoted in two articles in the online edition of the San Jose Mercury News relating to the death of bicyclist Neil Oda. Though I hadn’t talked to him in many years, Neil was a childhood friend of mine. I’m a cyclist myself, and for the reasons stated below I find the reports exceedingly difficult to understand. I hope you will forward this email to whoever is investigating this accident. 

1.) There is an elevation gain of about 60 feet per half mile in this section of Saratoga Ave. headed west (the direction Neil was reported to have been going). You might not notice an elevation gain this small in a car, but on a bike it’s referred to as a “false flat” and slows a bike down.

2.) Wind has been generally blowing out of the South West, and Saturday was a breezy day. Winds add a tremendous load to bikes and slow them down dramatically. Saratoga Ave. is generally aligned South West/North East. Neil would have been headed directly into the wind. 

Keeping these things in mind it is unlikely that even an accomplished cyclist would have been going more than 17 MPH, which should have given him ample chance to steer around or brake unless the SUV driver swerved and stopped quite suddenly. (Due to the severity of Neil’s injuries, it also calls into question whether the SUV was reversing, perhaps due to a missed turn, or coming out of a driveway.)

Cyclists have great difficulty with auto drivers who refuse to safely overtake and pass as required by law. In the last year I’ve had three near collisions caused by impatient auto drivers- two made right turns in front of me, and one pulled in front of me and slammed on his brakes when parking- this sounds exactly like what happened to poor Neil. 

I have viewed the area Neil’s accident is reported to have taken place using satellite photos from the web site Google Earth. There are several businesses in the area. I hope your investigators have checked these for video cameras that may have recorded the events, or the immediate prelude to them to see if either the SUV driver or cyclist were operating in an unsafe manner.

As a cyclist, and a friend of the Oda family, I hope this matter will be investigated thoroughly and completely. I can not with any certainty say the SUV driver was at fault, but the reports of his explanation seem “convenient” at best, and it would have taken more than a momentary lapse in judgment for a bicyclist to hit a parked SUV. From all the reports I’ve seen this accident did not need to happen. 

(My name and phone number)


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## glenk (May 26, 2005)

I'm guilty of sometimes riding in a "zone", going a good distance without realizing how far I've ridden because I'm thinking of something rather than paying attention. I'm wondering if Neil had previously looked ahead and saw nothing ahead, went into a similar mental state and unfortunately had the SUV pull over and stop where it had been clear before.

I read this SJM article before my ride on Sunday. It was in my mind the whole ride.


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## barry1021 (Nov 27, 2005)

California L33 said:


> I just sent this email to Sergeant Ed Wise who was quoted in the Mercury News-
> __________
> 
> Sergeant Ed Wise,
> ...


Very well done....

b21


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

This really hits hard - I commute on Saratoga every day. If he was going west, I believe it would have been uphill in that location. *sigh*


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## cptab (Sep 12, 2002)

*My hero*



California L33 said:


> I just sent this email to Sergeant Ed Wise who was quoted in the Mercury News-
> __________
> 
> Sergeant Ed Wise,
> ...



You Rock! Great job. You might consider sending this by certified mail. sometimes the only way to make sure all angles are covered is by being a pain the ass to a busy police department.


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## SlowMo (Apr 18, 2006)

*I'm impelled to thank you for this letter.*

I'm one of those folks that's very outspoken, yet I don't do my due diligence when it comes to taking the time to actually follow up on things like this. I appreciate the efforts you've taken to do this. I agree that a follow up letter would be something to consider? (Again, easy for me to say, yet not do.)


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

Godspeed​


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