Santa Cruz resident killed in hit-and-run identified
The identity of the victim of the fatal hit-and-run accident has been released to News Channel 5. The bicyclist, Jose Lainez was hit and killed while riding his bike to work. Residents in the area spoke out about the dangerous roads for bike riders.
Santa Cruz resident Marcia Smith said,”I know this is a treacherous intersection even driving it’s treacherous and I avoid it on a bike.”
Smith rides her bike to work in Capitola every day. She said Soquel Avenue is not the safest street to ride on.
“I do my best to cross Soquel and I just kind of stay away and take side streets as much as possible. But not everyone can do that if they work on here or go to school,” said Smith.
Jose Adan Lainez, 63, was on his way to work Friday morning when police say he was hit from behind while riding his bike on Soquel Avenue near Hagemann Avenue. Police said the driver of a white, full-sized pickup truck hit and killed Lainez.
Santa Cruz is known as a bike friendly city. Many people ride bikes instead of driving a car.
According to city officials, Santa Cruz has more than 46 miles of bike lanes. However some pedestrians and bicyclists still feel unsafe.
And more unsafe, especially after Friday morning’s accident.
John Hosburgh is also a Santa Cruz resident and he said he’s had two close calls with drivers on the road.
Hosburgh has been bike riding in Santa Cruz for 28 years. He said drivers need to respect the two-wheeled peddlers more. He said he feels like part of him goes with the death of fellow bicyclist Lainez.
” We can all learn from this valuable lesson to slow down when you’re driving and take bicyclists in your thoughts when you drive,” said Hosburgh.
Santa Cruz city council member David Terrazas said Friday’s hit-and-run is more reason to look at new opportunities to keep the city safe for pedestrians and bicyclists.
” It was a very tragic accident and I’m very interested in finding out the cause and knowing that we can bring the person who is responsible to justice, ” said Terrazas.
Santa Cruz police are reviewing surveillance from the nearby businesses. Authorities are still looking for a full-sized, white pick-up truck with front end damage. Anyone with information can call the Santa Cruz Police Department at 831-420-5800.
