For update regarding the collision investigation and ways to honor the life of  Rogelio Vásquez López, as well as for English translation of the content directly below, please scroll down.

Velorio el 4 de abril para

Rogelio Vásquez López

28 de enero de 1982 – 26 de marzo de 2015

Rogelio Vázquez López, de 33 años de edad, residente de Salinas, murió el jueves, 26 de marzo de 2015, como consecuencia de un choque entre su bicicleta y un camión. El accidente tuvo lugar a las 2:08 p.m., cerca de las calles East Market y Kern, en Salinas. El Sr. López fue transportado a Natividad Medical Center, donde desafortunadamente murió como resultado de sus heridas.

El velorio tendrá lugar en Alta Vista Mortuary, 41 East Alisal Street, Salinas, el sábado, 4 de abril, entre las 12 del mediodía y las 7 p.m. Aquellas personas que deseen comunicar su pésame personalmente a los miembros de la familia deben planear su visita para poco después del mediodía.

Una misa fúnebre se celebrará en Chucandiro, Michoacán, México. El entierro tendrá lugar en el Panteón Municipal del mismo pueblo.

Por favor únase a nosotros en ofrecer nuestro más sentido pésame a la familia. Las tarjetas de condolencia se pueden entregar en persona en Alta Vista Mortuary, o se pueden enviar por correo a la siguiente dirección:

Familia de Rogelio Vásquez López
c/o Alta Vista Mortuary
41 East Alisal Street
Salinas, CA 93901

El pésame también se puede extender en línea, firmando el álbum de concurrentes o enviando una tarjeta electrónica. http://www.altavistamortuary.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1553543

Las autoridades aún están en proceso de investigar este accidente, y es posible que se formulen cargos criminales contra el chofer del camión. El departamento de policía de la ciudad de Salinas ha dado gran prioridad a la investigación de este accidente. Consulte este sitio con frecuencia para conocer los resultados de la investigación. El informe policial sobre el accidente está disponible en el sitio web de la policía de Salinas: http://news.salinaspd.com/index.cfm/Fatal_Traffic_Collision_6122.htm#.VR2eQI6CnCN [El últimas noticias: http://www.salinaspd.com/content/update-fatal-traffic-collision]

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Muchas gracias to my colleague and friend Juan Quintana of Editorial Solutions, Monterey for providing the above translation and VC Sección 21201 (a) below.

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Update

The investigation into this collision has been completed. Refer to the 4/17/15 press release on the SPD website for details: http://www.salinaspd.com/content/update-fatal-traffic-collision

Perhaps, like me, you may wonder about additional details of the collision. SPD responded to my inquiry with the following additional information: Video from a nearby business showed that the truck did not make an abrupt turn; it slowed down and made the turn at an appropriate speed. The traffic collision report shows the driver of the truck to be partially at fault for making an unsafe turn. The press release states, “the traffic officers did not feel there was sufficient culpability on the part of Martinez to request criminal charges.”

In addition to extending condolences to the family, Bicycling Monterey also suggests the following…

Ways to honor the life of

Rogelio Vásquez López

1. Advocate for protected bikeways. https://bikemonterey.org/resources/bicycle-advocacy-what-you-can-do
2. Help educate both people who drive commercial vehicles and people who bike about sharing the road safely. The following tools, created for Santa Cruz, are relevant anywhere:
   • For commercial drivers, in English:  http://www.ecoact.org/PDF/TrafficSafety_Flyer.pdf
   • Para los conductores de vehiculos comerciales, en español: “INFORMACIÓN SOBRE LA SEGURIDAD DE LOS CICLISTAS PARA LOS CONDUCTORES DE VEHÍCULOS COMERCIALES” http://www.ecoact.org/PDF/TrafficSafety_Flyer_spanish.pdf
   • For bicyclists, in English: “Sharing the Road Safely with Trucks and Buses” http://www.ecoact.org/PDF/bike_safety_trifold.pdf
   • Para ciclistas, en español: “compartiendo las calles de manera segura con camiones y autobuses” http://www.ecoact.org/PDF/bike_safety_trifold_SP.pdf
3. Help educate people who bike regarding CA laws about required brake on bicycles on public roads:“CA VC Section 21201. (a) No person shall operate a bicycle on a roadway unless it is equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make one braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement.” Educational tools include Be Cool, Be Safe – Bike Law Summary & Advocating for Biking and Leyes de ciclismo de CA – Laws for bicyclists in CA (Spanish, English) – Summary. We created “Leyes de ciclismo de CA…” to share info not yet on the CA DMV website en español. We added the brake info to our “Leyes” document in response to Rogelio’s death.
   

   V C Sección 21201 Equipo requerido

   21201. (a) No deberá operarse una bicicleta en la carretera a menos que dicha bicicleta esté equipada con un freno que dé al operador la capacidad de hacer que una rueda de la bicicleta resbale en pavimento seco y llano cuando se le aplique dicho freno.

4. Help educate people who bike about sidewalk riding and crosswalks, which may or may not be a contributing factor to this tragedy. See Bicycling on Sidewalks: Misconceptions and advisories, which includes crosswalk info too. (If you can volunteer to translate info into Spanish, please contact me, since the Californian has not yet translated this piece for El Sol.)
5. Whether driving or biking, remember to signal your intentions. This may or may not be a contributing factor to this tragedy. CA Vehicle Code requiring signaling a turn applies to motor vehicles and to bicycles. Click here for related info on the DMV website. For bicycles, also see Bicycling Monterey’s http://bit.ly/CABikeLaws/riding skills/safety section.
6. Avoid being in a hurry, and avoid distractions. This may or may not be a contributing factor to this tragedy.
   https://bikemonterey.org/distracted-watch-out-were-all-family.html,
   https://bikemonterey.org/mad-sos-erics-dad-ride-to-stop-distracted-driving.html, and https://bikemonterey.org/cops-about.html
7. Learn about right-hook prevention. See BicycleSafe.com and the I Am Traffic video collection, among other resources.
8. Make a donation to Sun Street Centers, Salinas to support their work preventing alcohol and drug addiction by offering education, prevention, treatment and recovery to individuals and families regardless of income level.
9. Make a contribution to Bicycling Monterey to expand our public outreach.

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The tragic collision that took the life of Rogelio Vásquez López occurred at 2:08 p.m. on March 26 at the location pictured below, East Market and Kern. This photo was taken on the night of March 27, about 36 hours later.

Mourners who wish to join Mari on April 4 in a silent procession by bike to Alta Vista Mortuary from East Market and Kern may meet her at that intersection at 12:45 p.m. Please phone Mari for details. Special thanks to Jeff Richman for honoring the life of this fallen rider.

Visitation April 4th for

Rogelio Vásquez López

28 January 1982 – 26 March 2015

Rogelio Vazquez Lopez, 33, of Salinas, passed away as a result of a bicycle-truck collision on Thursday, March 26, 2015. Mr. Lopez was riding his bicycle on East Market Street at Kern Street, Salinas when the collision occurred at 2:08 p.m. He was taken to Natividad Medical Center, where he died of his injuries.

Visitation will take place at the Alta Vista Mortuary, 41 East Alisal Street, Salinas on Saturday, April 4. Visitation  hours are from Noon until 7 p.m. Those wishing to pay their respects to the family directly may wish to arrive shortly after Noon.

Funeral Mass will be held in Chucandiro, Michoacan, Mexico. Burial will take place in Panteon Municipal de Chucandiro, Michoacan, Mexico.

Please join us in extending condolences.  You may deliver a sympathy card to Alta Vista or send it via postal mail, addressed to:

The Family of Rogelio Vasquez Lopez

c/o Alta Vista Mortuary

41 East Alisal Street

Salinas, CA 93901

You may also extend condolences online, by signing the guest book or sending an e-card. http://www.altavistamortuary.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1553543

This collision remains under investigation, and it is possible that the driver may face criminal charges. Salinas Police Department considers investigation of this fatality of the highest priority. Check back for results of the investigation. You may read the collision report online at the SPD website: http://news.salinaspd.com/index.cfm/Fatal_Traffic_Collision_6122.htm#.VR2eQI6CnCN [Update: http://www.salinaspd.com/content/update-fatal-traffic-collision]