After a thorough investigation the Sonoma police have decided that no blame will be assigned in the November 28 sidewalk collision of a bicycle and a pedestrian. The accident at 762 Broadway sent a 72-year-old woman to the hospital with serious head injuries. The cyclist, a 13-year-old boy, was unhurt.
Sgt. Darin Daugherty said the report concluded that both parties had the legal right to be where they were at the time of the collision. The cyclist committed no violations, Daugherty said, and there was no evidence of reckless behavior.
Riding a bicycle on the sidewalk is legal in Sonoma.
There were initial comments to the media that the bike had been speeding unsafely, but that was not corroborated. In a statement to the police, a witness said the bike was not being driven recklessly but estimated the speed at 17 miles per hour.
As part of the investigation, police officers took test runs of the bike to see how fast it could go in the gear setting in which it was being ridden that day. The top speed in those trials was 12-14 m.p.h.
The bike did not have a headlight, but police established that there was adequate daylight at the time of the accident.
The bike collided with Wendy Mitchell, a Sonoma artist, as she stepped onto the sidewalk, from her car, on the way to The Framery at 762 Broadway. The cyclist saw her as she emerged from behind a bushy tree, but was unable to stop in time to avoid the collision. He was not thrown from the bike, a fact police said helped establish the bike was not moving at high speed.
Sight lines diminished by trees growing in a landscaping strip between the street and the sidewalk was also a factor. Two trees – actually tall, trimmed bushes several feel wide – likely would have obscured the boy’s and Mitchell’s view of one another.
The rider’s helmet apparently struck the woman, who fell backwards; one or perhaps both impacts caused serious head trauma. Mitchell was taken to a Santa Rosa hospital, then, Daugherty said, transferred to a Sacramento facility where she is believed to remain in a coma.
In the Dec. 3 issue The Sun used language to suggest the bike rider had acted recklessly. The Sun regrets the error and apologizes to the boy and his family.
