Cambria Man Killed on Highway 1

February 11, 2012

A Cambria man was hit by a car and killed Thursday night on Highway 1 near Moonstone Beach.

Milton Torell, 64, was standing next to his bike just north of Cambria when he was hit by a 1996 Dodge Neon at about 7:15 pm.

The driver did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and was driving at approximately 60 miles per hour, officers said. Torell was wearing dark pants and a dark shirt while standing partially on the poorly lit highway, which made the accident difficult to avoid.


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I’m waiting for all the facts on this one. Bikers are smart people; I doubt Mr. Torell was standing in the roadway. My guess is that he thought he was safe by standing on the shoulder, maybe attending his bike. The notion that he was “standing partially on the poorly lit highway” seems to include he was on the shoulder. You know, the shoulder, where all bike riders typically ride, and where cars should not be driving at 60mph.


Bikers are NOT all smart people. Some do not obey traffic laws and others are ill prepared to ride on busy and/or narrow roadways. Dark clothing at night with no illumination (if this is the case) is a perfect combination waiting for a tragic outcome. No one will know what happened until it is fully investigated.


A tragic death that could have been avoided with proper clothing. Blessings to those who lost their loved one and friend.


Sure, let’s build more bike paths and bikers will still wear dark clothing and no lights/reflectors at night. I see all the time in SLO….dumb clucks expect drivers to see them in the dark. Also never seen SLOPD stop these clucks.


How sad this accident happened. When it comes to a bike friendly environment, our county sucks! Instead of spending money on more interchanges, bridge lanes and a Nipomo water pipe (projected at 25 million), they should at least build some decent bike paths through out the county. You would be seriously jeopardizing you life trying to ride your bike from Nipomo to Santa Maria. I’m sure there are many other examples.


But Russ, your comments are irrelevant to this situation. The biker was clearly at fault here. Sad story but if you’re gonna be out after dark on your bike, get a flasher and wear some neon clothes and a glow-in-the-dark vest. Hwy 1 isn’t a great place to ride your bike at 7:15pm.