Timestamp: 28 October 2022
The California Highway Patrol has identified the bicyclist killed on the evening of Oct. 23 on U.S. Highway 101 south of Herrick Avenue as Rio Dell resident Donald Ferguson. He was 51.
In a news release, the CHP states a preliminary investigation indicates Ferguson was struck around 7:45 p.m. within the No. 1 lane by a pickup truck traveling northbound, causing fatal injuries.
The crash closed down the highway for approximately two hours.
Impairment of the driver is not considered a factor in the crash, according to CHP, which stated toxicology reports for the bicyclist are still pending.
The investigation remains ongoing and the CHP asks anyone with information to contact the Humboldt Area CHP at (707) 822-5981 or the 24-hour dispatch line at (707) 268-2000.
Read the CHP full release below:
On 10/23/2022, at approximately 7:42 PM, the CHP Humboldt Communication Center (HCC) received a call of a vehicle versus bicyclist traffic crash on US-101 Northbound, south of Herrick Avenue.Based on CHP's preliminary investigation, it appears this crash occurred when a bicyclist was struck within the #1 lane by a 2015 Chevrolet pickup, driven by 29-year-old Colton Daniels of Eureka.
The bicyclist, 51-year-old Donald Ferguson of Rio Dell, received fatal injuries as a result of this crash. Impairment is not considered to be a factor in the driving of the vehicle. Impairment of the bicyclist is unknown at this time and is pending toxicology results by the Humboldt County Coroner's Office.
The CHP is continuing to investigate this crash and asks anyone with information to contact the Humboldt Area CHP at (707) 822-5981 or the 24-hour dispatch line at (707) 268-2000.
The #1 lane of northbound US-101 was closed for approximately two hours to allow for the safe investigation of this crash.
The California Highway Patrol extends its condolences to the family of the deceased and would like to thank the following agencies for their response and assistance with the investigation: Humboldt Bay Fire, Eureka Police Department, Humboldt Towing.
Keywords: Fortuna Humboldt California US public transit RTS
Comment: Why was this person riding a bicycle on the freeway after dark?
It seems not just possible but likely that he was returning from a poorly paid, part time job.
Why would someone commute, twenty-five miles, each way, on a bicycle, to a poorly paid, part time job?
It seems likely that, like many of us, he needed to pay his steadily increasing rent.
Did he leave anyone behind? It's not considered important enough to mention - or, rather more precisely, it's considered important enough to not mention.
Why didn't he put his bicycle onto the bicycle rack mounted on the front of the bus and just ride public transit? That's a long bicycle ride, at night, for a man over half a century in age.
It seems that is also considered important enough to not mention, but when I consult a calendar I see that if this happened on 23 October 2022 then it happened on a Sunday - and according to the Redwood Transit System schedule at https://hta.org/agencies/redwood-transit-system/, there is no service on Sundays.
It would seem that no bus service on Sundays is the real problem.
But don't hold your breath waiting for anybody in a position of authority, leadership or management to recommend any changes. The only way a Humboldt County citizen's death will distort the results of RTS management's spreadsheets will be if an RTS driver gets killed, or maybe a passenger. Elderly, abandoned citizens don't count.
Sure, maybe we are wrong about the specifics of this particular case. But if we keep tossing the dice, you know that every once in a while, we are right - and someone dies, unnecessarily.
I accuse Humboldt County's government of elder abuse. Resign. Go run someone else's county into the ground. You've done enough damage here.
What's important to remember is that 51-year-old man desperately trying to get home, after dark, on a fucking freeway, on a bicycle, could be your son, daughter, friend, neighbor, or grand-child - and that public transit is not just a last resort, but, for some of us, their only option.
Food for thought.