Bicyclist seriously injured after struck by SUV while riding in Redding traffic
REDDING, Calif., — Authorities say a bicyclist was seriously injured when he was struck by an SUV in Redding Wednesday morning, Dec. 1. Multiple witnesses to the major-injury collision later reported that the bicyclist was riding in an extremely unsafe manner just before the accident, and was seen weaving in and out of the lanes of travel on Churn Creek Road, south of Hartnell Avenue.
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City of Redding police and fire personnel were dispatched to the scene around 11:45 a.m. after receiving multiple reports of a collision involving a bicyclist, Redding Police Sergeant Michael DiMatteo has since reported.
When officials arrived they found a 28-year-old bicyclist down in the roadway suffering from major injuries. The victim was rushed to Mercy Medical Center where he remains hospitalized.
A bicycle and Toyota SUV with significant front-end damage can be seen near the middle of Churn Creek Road after the bicyclist was struck and seriously injured in Redding yesterday. Angilee Garcia-Marshall photo
The 38-year-old driver of the SUV was not injured in the collision. He remained at the scene of the crash and was cooperative with officers.
During their subsequent investigation, officers interviewed the involved driver as well as multiple witnesses, who all provided statements regarding the bicyclist and his actions prior to and at the time of the collision.
Officers learned that shortly before the collision, the bicyclist, whose name has not been released, was riding northbound on Churn Creek Road and was seen quickly changing lanes while riding in the lanes of travel, swerving around vehicles and traffic, and performing other dangerous actions.
According to DiMatteo, the bicyclist then swerved into the two-way, left turn lane before traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of Churn Creek Road, directly into the path of an oncoming Toyota SUV.
Unable to swerve or brake in time to avoid a collision, the SUV then struck the rider head-on, throwing him from his bicycle onto the SUV and then into the roadway. He was not wearing a helmet when he was struck.
No further information was immediately available and Redding PD’s investigation is continuing.
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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.