California Road Rage Incidents Continue to Plague Cyclists

2022 has seen a rise of dangerous conflicts instigated by angry drivers, with the latest example occurring in San Bernardino County.

Road rage episodes are always dangerous, but they can be especially deadly when a cyclist is involved. Without 2,000 pounds of steal to protect them for irrationally angry drivers, the results are often devastating.

Such incidents are on this rise in southern California, with the most recent episode occurring in San Bernardino County. A cyclist was killed after being crushed by a hostile motorist.

According to a recent article about the incident in bikinginla.com, the intentional killing has sparked a regional manhunt for the motorist. The website writes:

“According to the Desert Dispatch, 40-year-old Barstow resident Bennett Warner was riding his bike westbound on Main Street around 12:53 pm Monday when he was approached by a man identified as 22-year-old Raymundo Alberto Rodriguez-Cordova of Barstow.

The two men got into an argument, after which Warner rode into a parking lot on the 1000 block of Main. Cordova followed Warner in his pickup and accelerated into Warner, slamming him into a parked car.

Cordova fled the scene following the crash, leaving Warner to die later of his injuries.

There’s no word on what the two argued about, whether it had to do with road rage or a personal dispute between the two men.

Police are looking for an older model pickup, possibly a 1993 Chevy S10, black with red or primer markings on the front, Kansas plate 180GRS.

Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Tom Lewis at 760/255-5187.”

According to the most recent data, this episode is already the 22nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third in San Bernardino County.

If you find yourself in a similar situation while cycling, doing the following can help keep you safe:

• Do not escalate the situation
• Try to calm the other person, even if you are in the right
• Contact law enforcement if you feel at risk or if the other person is behaving irrationally
• If you perceive an imminent threat, remove yourself from the scene
• Wear a body camera, a helmet camera or some kind of recording device. The realization that they are on camera may calm some aggressors and cameras can provide key evidence.
• If you have suffered a property loss of sustained an injury due to road rage aggression, contact a local attorney who specializes in bicycle law.

Finding the Right Bicycle Accident Attorney

Gary Brustin is a lifelong cyclist and a specialist in bicycle accident law. In fact, these are the only types of cases he accepts. If you’ve been injured in a collision, we urge you to contact Gary for a complimentary consultation.