Arcadia teen struck by car while riding bike dies
A 16-year-old Arcadia boy who was struck by a car while riding his bicycle over the weekend has died from his injuries, authorities said Wednesday.
Roger A. Lewis, who had been on life support following Saturday’s collision at Santa Anita Avenue and Duarte Road, died Tuesday at a hospital, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
The crash took place just before 10 p.m., Arcadia police officials said in a written statement.
The 2008 Chrysler Sebring struck the teenage cyclist, who was thrown from his bicycle, police said. Lewis, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered major head injuries.
He was pronounced dead at 9:53 a.m. Tuesday, Winter said. An autopsy was pending.
Lewis had been riding a Bianchi “fixed-gear” bicycle, police said.
The type of bicycle was originally developed for velodrome racing but has grown in popularity among recreational riders in recent years.
Lewis was a former student at Arcadia High School, where he studied for a little more than a year before transferring more than a year ago, Arcadia High School Principal Brent Forsee said.
“We’re very aware that even though he wasn’t a current student, he did have friends on campus,” the principal said. “He was a member of the community.”
Forsee said he wasn’t sure whether Lewis had been attending another school or was being home schooled.
Grief counselors and psychologists had been made available to AHS students, “just to counsel them, to be there,” Forsee said Wednesday.
He expressed sorrow for Lewis’ family and said as a result of the incident, school staff would be taking time to talk with students about helmets and bicycle safety.
The crash remained under investigation, however no crime was initially suspected, police said. Though toxicology results for both Lewis and the 26-year-old Arcadia man who was driving the involved car were pending, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol did not appear to be a factor, authorities said.
“The department sends its condolences to the family and friends of the bicyclist, as well as to the driver and witnesses to the collision,” Le Veque said.
Bicycle Collisions and Wrongful Death Liability
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