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Man dead after Nipomo hit and run

October 2, 2014

chalkAn unidentified man died Wednesday morning after he was struck by an intoxicated hit-and-run driver in Nipomo. [Tribune]

Shortly After 11 a.m., a bicyclist was headed south on Los Berros Road near Pomeroy Road when he was struck by a Honda Accord driven by Michelle Yvonne Hart, 45, of Arroyo Grande. Hart’s car struck the back of the man’s bike ejecting him onto the road.

Even though he was wearing a helmet, the man suffered fatal head injuries.

Hart fled the scene, but was apprehended shortly after the accident. The man was not carrying any identification and his identity has not yet been discovered.

Officers arrested Hart on suspicion of driving under the influence, driving on a suspended or revoked license and gross vehicular manslaughter and booked her into the San Luis Obispo County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.


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Michelle Yvonne Hart, 45, of Arroyo Grande: Soon to be a long-time resident of Chowchilla.


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Over 100 cyclists per year are killed in CA. The aH0LEs that kill them are either drunk, texting, or being bad drivers. They had to pass a law to attempt to stop the slaughter and now you are required to give them at least 3 feet, CROSSING THE CENTER LINE IF IT’S SAFE, but still locals (many on this board) complain.


It’s very sad. Our society is so selfish, wasteful, and self centered.


I’m very sorry for the loss here.


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Bicyclist is at fault in about half of the bike vs. car accidents. Ridding a bicycle along a narrow roadway with high vehicle speeds is not an entirely safe activity. It would be wonderful if it was perfectly safe, but it’s not.


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You are right about the bicyclist being at fault about half the time and TaxMeAgain should not have generalized that all drivers in such accidents are at fault. However, just because narrow roads aren’t entirely safe doesn’t mean that the shouldn’t and can’t be safer. The new law is (for practical purposes) an educational attempt to do that.


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SLO_Johnny, thanks for proving my point. I’d love to see you back up your BS statistic. Who pays the price in bike vs. car accidents? The biker, every time. If you are driving your vehicle and cannot SAFELY pass a bike, then we should take away your license, idiot.


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Ken Frietas got a slap on the wrist for the same type of crime.


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Someone else remembers! Although I don’t remember Frietas’ victim being a cyclists, I do remember the special treatment he got — almost certainly due to his father’s political influence. “Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.”


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The irony here is that the driver Michelle Hart should have been on a bicycle since she was driving on a suspended/revoked license (and driving drunk at 11:00am on a week day).


Why can’t we have drivers license checkpoints to catch these people and the ones driving without a license–then give jail time?


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Agreed that she would have been less of a hazard to others on a bike but a wobbly, weaving cyclist can still cause a serious accident when others veer to avoid her. She should have been in rehab and since she didn’t do that, she needs to do her rehab in jail.


However, drivers license checkpoints would be very expensive and very intrusive on traffic flow if done effectively. (Anyone who thinks waiting to safely pass a slow cyclist is unreasonable would totally freak out at more frequent stops similar in time to those for road construction.)


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Yet another tragedy. Aside from the stupidity, and selfish actions of the driver,

there is another lesson to be learned. Cyclists should always carry a cell phone, or some type of ID.

What a senseless loss…the family’s nightmare has just begun.


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