California’s Stockton Bike Club announced the death of Bennie Weber, a former amateur racer and endurance cyclist killed on 19 January in a crash with an automobile while on a training ride.

According to a California Highway Patrol report, Weber, 79, was traveling on Buena Vista Road in Stockton at 15:10 and signaled intentions to make a left turn. A 2005 Toyota Corolla driven by a 30 year-old male then crashed into the cyclist from behind while trying to pass on the left.

Medics quickly arrived and performed life saving procedures on Weber, but they were unsuccessful and he succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the crash.

Via Facebook Ryan Weber, Bennie’s son, offered his thoughts and understanding of what happened:

My father’s death was preventable if the driver had followed basic traffic laws. I will share service information when it becomes available.

Bennie was traveling North on Buena Vista, made a motion he was turning left and was in the process of making a left turn onto Comanche Parkway. He was six feet into the southbound lane of Buena Vista when he was struck from behind.

There was sufficient space available to pass safely on the right; however, the vehicle instead crossed the double yellow line and attempted to pass on the left, resulting in impact to the passenger-side front of the vehicle.

There is approximately 200 feet of visible skid marks indicating a high rate of speed prior to braking. The vehicle then struck a nearby embankment, which appears to have contributed to a reduction in the overall length additional skid marks.

The driver remained at the scene. The front of the vehicle sustained significant damage to the windshield from the collision with Bennie as well as the embankment.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident. The driver stated that he saw Bennie, observed Bennie signaling a left turn, and then crossed the double yellow line in an attempt to pass Bennie in the middle of the intersection.

Based on the sequence of events, braking and remaining in the lane of travel were available options at the time, which would have avoided the collision.

Weber raced in the master’s age group in the early 2000s, competing in Northern California cyclocross and road events, including San Francisco’s legendary New Year’s Day hill climb up Mount San Bruno where he finished 9th. In 2009 at age 62 he switched to endurance riding, completing an impressive 120 solo 100-mile rides that year.

A memorial service is planned on 14 February at the Wine and Roses Resort in Lodi, California.

Photo Credit: Bennie Weber

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