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The Palo Alto Police Department has referred to the Santa Clara County District Attorney the results of its investigation into the Feb. 19 fatal crash in which two drivers struck a bicyclist on Embarcadero Road, the department said in a news release.
The fatal collision occurred at about 9 p.m., when 28-year-old Sarah Muller was bicycling east on Embarcadero and reportedly stopped in the left lane near Newell Road, according to the police. Investigators believe she was waiting for a green arrow so that she could turn on Newell when an eastbound driver in a Honda Accord struck her from behind, knocking her into the intersection.
Police had initially reported that two other drivers subsequently struck Muller while she was in the intersection. Further investigation, including review of dashcam footage, indicated that one of the cars swerved around her while the other had struck her in the intersection.
The driver who had initially hit Muller remained on scene and cooperated with the officers, police said. The driver who hit her in the intersection contacted the police after seeing news reports about the fatal crash. The driver, a male in his 20s who was driving a Hyundai Sonata, told the police that he had struck something in the roadway but had no idea it was a person, police said.
Police said that neither drugs nor alcohol appear to have been a factor in the initial collision. There is no evidence to suggest they have a factor in the second collision either.
The department is sending the case to the District Attorney’s office for review for any appropriate criminal charges against either of the drivers who struck Muller, according to the news release.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the department’s 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413 or send an anonymous tip to paloalto@tipnow.org or (650) 383-8984.
So she was not in the turn lane but the left of the two straight lanes. Was she using lights? Was she wearing reflective gear? Still questions here.
Letter to the editor: https://www.losaltosonline.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor-more-traffic-enforcement/article_c0d75c16-db33-11ee-b671-f733bb5edaa5.html
Yes, it is important to know if she was wearing reflective nighttime bike clothing and whether she had lights on her bike. I’m not trying to blame it on the victim, just trying to learn if she might have been safer with nighttime gear???
Personally, I believe that the second car who swerved and the last car that hit the body should have stopped. How long did it take to get help for this young girl? Didn’t know it was a body? It also could have been a large dog! No excuse for such reckless behavior!
According to the Stanford Daily:
She was a doctoral candidate at the Université Paris-Nanterre and was a visiting student researcher in the Department of Classics and a fellow at the France-Stanford Center for Interdisciplinary Studies. She arrived at Stanford in January.
She was likely accustomed to urban cycling in Paris. Notably, the big difference when cycling in France is where the blame lies in the event of an accident involving a cyclist. In all instances, the fault will automatically rest with the driver of the larger vehicle (be it a car, bus or whatever) and the driver will have to prove that the cyclist was doing something really stupid that resulted in the accident. [reference http://www.loirelifecycling.com]
However in America as a car driver you can hit and kill a cyclist with legal repercussions, as long as you claim you didn’t see the cyclist.
Requiring cyclists to dress up as a Christmas tree to avoid being assaulted by cars, is like requiring women to dress modestly to avoid being assaulted by men.
I assume that you all now have a CA.gov Driver Real ID – a state mandated card that will be required by all by March 2025. Or a Real ID that does not let you drive but gets you on a plane. The DMV is where this all happens – they have a Driver’s Handbook which lays out the CA rules of the road concerning drivers, bicycles, and pedestrians. Go to their web site at dmv.ca.gov and you can take some practice tests that will be required when you go in for your appointment. There is also a vision test – need some glasses?
Midtown is wrong – now in America the rules of the road are laid out and reckless bicycle people are going to get hurt if they do not follow the rules. Reckless car driver’s are going to be in trouble if they do not keep their eyes on the road for any other activity. Where people are on the road is key to safety. Wearing lights at night is key. Being in the proper lane is key when making turns. If the lady was not in the Left Turn Lane indicating her intent then she is at fault.
All of those lines on the road mean something and you need to learn what that is. In this case if she was in the Left Hand Turn Lane than it is hard to imagine why she was hit. No lights on the bike? This is all based on Common Sense. If you are on the road then you need to use Common Sense and follow the rules.
“Requiring cyclists to dress up like a Christmas tree to avoid being assaulted by cars is like requiring women to dress modestly to avoid being assaulted by men.”
No one has suggested that cyclists “dress up like a Christmas tree.” People are wisely suggesting cyclists wear reflective clothing and use lights to protect themselves. (Maybe the woman who was killed was doing all that. I don’t know.)
Bringing rape into this discussion is offensive. Entirely different dynamics.
Lighting up like a Christmas tree while not necessarily the law is not a bad idea. There are many bikes that do light up with flashing lights on bike and helmets, high vis vests, and can be seen easily from the side as well as behind. As a driver, I know which I prefer to see, as a pedestrian I carry a flashlight and wear light colors at night, and as a bike rider I had bike lights.
I agree that rape has nothing to do with this discussion and can understand why this comment would be offensive. Entirely different dynamics. In the old days such comments would have been removed from Town Square.
Don’t stop in the fast lane if you are bicyclist. Pretty simple rule. I’m sure there were reasons she did this, but not being in motion on a roadway with a green light for the fast lane is a big issue. Much better to stop in the left turn lane which has a red light, but still there are concerns with being visible when stopped. Motion increases visibility.
This intersection of Embarcadero and Newell is a high visibility intersection with a fire engine facility and the Community Center. The area is designated as a 25 MPH zone due to proximity to the school at Middlefield. Based on the signal set-ups people should not be driving very fast in that section. There is a left hand turn lane clearly laid out on the street and it would require a signal for the turn to take place. It is not very clear here if she was stopped in the left lane with a green signal . Total confusion – a person on a bike would not be like hitting a dog. If you hit a bike you know it. The CA-Gov requirements for a bike at night is a light that is clearly visible from behind visible for 500 feet. Page 49 of the DMV Driver’s Handbook has a listing of the Bicyclist Responsibilities. Sorry for the young lady but she should have been visible on the well lighted street. SU needs to advise it’s visiting staff what the requirements are here in CA.