Man detained after fatal bicycle crash
Personal Injury News
Article Date: 7/19/2010 | Resource: MLG
Man detained after fatal bicycle crash
NEWPORT BEACH A man involved in a fatal bicycle crash Thursday was detained at Central Mens Jail after police determined that he had been previously deported, police said.
Jose Luis Huerta Mundo, 38, of Garden Grove, was detained on an immigration hold after police contacted Immigration and Custom Enforcement, said Newport Beach Police Sgt. Evan Sailor. Mundo is still in custody, records show.
Michael William Nine, 43, from Santa Ana, died Thursday morning after crashing with a white Chevy stakebed truck driven by Mundo, police said.
According to police, Nine was traveling north on Spyglass Hill Road approaching Harbor Ridge Drive when he went down on his bicycle and crashed with the truck. Nine was taken to Hoag Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Sailor said Mundo, a self-employed landscaper, was not arrested for the crash. It is still under investigation, Sailor said.
Jim Weaver and a group of other bicycle riders were riding with Nine Thursday morning. Weaver was ahead of the group and Nine was directly behind him to the left when the crash occurred, Weaver said.
“It was surreal,” Weaver said. “It’s going to be in my memory forever.”
Weaver described Spyglass Hill Road as a deep and steep hill that curves.
“We were going relatively fast,” he said.
Weaver said when they came around the bend, the truck was on the road facing them at about a 45-degree angle.
“It looked like he was backing up,” he said.
The truck was mostly blocking their lane, he said, but they weren’t sure whether they should go around him. The truck started drifting into their lane, coming fast, and that’s when the group started yelling, “Truck!” “Watch out!”
“We decided to stay on the right side,” Weaver said.
That’s when it appeared like Nine ran right into the back end of the truck, said Weaver, adding that he didn’t see him hit it.
Weaver said their bicycle group rides every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings. They ride a 35-mile set route beginning at Kean Coffee in Tustin and go down to Irvine and Newport Beach.
“He’s a super friendly guy…he really loved riding,” Weaver said. “Rarely did he miss a ride.”
For more information regarding this article please contact:
Jeffrey Marquart
(949)589-0150
jmarquart@marquartlawgroup.com