Cyclist says he was targeted in hit-and-run crash near Santa Rosa

A Santa Rosa man riding his bike home from work early Saturday morning was struck and then dragged to the sidewalk by an SUV which then fled the scene.

The hit-and-run victim suffered three fractures to his left leg, according to his mother, Denise Gaul, who declined to give her name to protect her privacy. The 35-year-old man was transported to Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he underwent surgery to stabilize his leg.

He is scheduled to undergo a second operation Friday morning.

After finishing his night shift at the Safeway on Guerneville Road, the cyclist was riding his e-bike north on Fulton Road, approximately 300 meters south of where it intersects River Road.

Around 3:15 a.m., according to Officer Shane Young of the Santa Rosa Police Department, “it is possible that a gray SUV came up behind him, striking the cyclist. The bike was dragged a short distance. The SUV continued to drive around the cyclist and was last seen traveling eastbound on River Road. »

The CHP had no updates Wednesday morning on its efforts to locate the SUV and identify the driver.

According to Gaul, his son was riding on the cycle path at around 32 km/h on his orange Vitilan V3 when he noticed a vehicle approaching from behind. But the SUV didn't overtake him.

“The guy yells at him to get the ‘f’ out of the road, then starts pushing him,” said Gaul, whose son was knocked off his bike and then pinned underneath.

At that point, she said, the driver of the SUV began “pushing him and sliding him down the sidewalk.”

The rider wore a helmet; his bike was well lit. He was wearing a yellow vest with fluorescent stripes, as well as a backpack. Both were torn apart as he was pushed to the sidewalk, Gaul said.

When a second car approached from the south, the driver of the SUV drove around the cyclist and continued north on Fulton.

The second motorist stopped to offer help and called 911.

Gaul was particularly grateful to this good Samaritan. The hit-and-run driver, she said, was “playing cat and mouse” with her son as he lay on the ground. She thinks “he wanted her dead”.

Cyclists have the legal right to use the road in a way that allows them to travel safely given the prevailing conditions.

Under California law, motorists must also give cyclists at least three feet of space when passing.

Eris Weaver, executive director of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, pointed out that motorist harassment is all too common for most cyclists.

“But most of the time when I hear about drivers hitting cyclists, it’s not intentional. It's inattention, it's distraction, it's drunkenness, it's driving too fast.

“It’s really rare to see this level of physical harassment with a car. It's really scary.

To those who might question the cyclist's judgment because he went out early in the morning, “it really doesn't matter why he was on the road at that time,” Weaver emphasized. .

“We have the right to go out, to go wherever we go, at any time of the day or night.”

Gaul and Weaver both expressed hope that police will be able to review video from cameras located along that stretch of Fulton, to help locate a suspect.

“I want him off the road,” Gaul said.

“This is an assault,” Weaver said, referring to the incident. “Assault with a deadly weapon.”

Staff writer Madison Smalstig contributed to this report.

You can contact staff writer Austin Murphy at [email protected] or on Twitter @ausmurph88.