A 68-year-old Long Beach man has died after a semi-truck struck him while he was riding his bicycle on a Pacific Coast Highway sidewalk earlier this month, according to police. He died the day after the crash, but investigators only learned of his death on September 10, nearly a week after the collision.
The crash happened around 11 p.m. on September 4 at West Pacific Coast Highway and Canal Avenue, according to MyNewsLA.com. The bicyclist was riding west along the south sidewalk of PCH when a semi-truck pulling a trailer turned right out of a restaurant parking lot to head east on the highway and struck him, per the outlet's account. He came to a stop and was then struck, and was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
The Long Beach Police Department is investigating the crash and is looking into speed as a possible contributing factor, the report notes. It remains unclear whether the truck driver stayed at the scene or has since been interviewed by investigators — a detail police have not yet clarified.
A Legal Question Over Right-of-Way
The circumstances raise questions about right-of-way obligations for drivers exiting private lots onto major roads. Under California Vehicle Code Section 21804, drivers entering or crossing a highway from private property — including commercial parking lots — must yield to all approaching traffic close enough to pose an immediate hazard, according to FindLaw.
Sidewalk cycling itself is also governed by local rules that vary by zoning. Long Beach Municipal Code Section 10.48.070 prohibits bicycle riding on sidewalks within commercial business districts, requiring sidewalk cyclists to yield to pedestrians, according to the City of Long Beach. Whether that provision applies to the stretch of PCH where the crash occurred has not been addressed by investigators.
Part of a Grim Pattern Along Long Beach Corridors
This is not the only fatal crash to strike Long Beach's commercial corridors this month. Earlier this week, Hoodline reported that a man was killed by three vehicles on Pacific Avenue, with two drivers fleeing the scene. That corridor sits near Pacific Coast Highway and is designated on the city's High-Injury Network as the fourth most dangerous traffic corridor for pedestrians and cyclists, a ranking supported by a 2024 city speed study that found only 14% of drivers obeyed the 25 mph limit there.
PCH itself has seen repeated tragedy. In June, a 71-year-old female pedestrian was struck and killed near Pacific Coast Highway and Pacific Avenue, according to city records. And in July, a bicyclist riding west on Cowles Street near South Santa Fe Avenue was struck head-on and killed by a turning vehicle in a pre-dawn hit-and-run, as BikinginLA reported at the time.
Vision Zero's 2026 Deadline Arrives Amid Record Deaths
The deaths come as Long Beach faces a widening gap between its safety pledges and its road toll. The City Council adopted the Safe Streets Long Beach Action Plan in July 2020 under its Vision Zero initiative, setting an official target to eliminate all traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries citywide by 2026, according to betterlbc.com.
Instead, 2025 brought 53 fatal traffic collisions citywide — the highest annual total in more than a decade — with 32 of those deaths involving pedestrians, bicyclists, or e-scooter riders, according to LAist. The city has taken some steps toward its goal, including a $25 million federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant awarded in September 2024 to build raised crosswalks, continuous medians, and protected bike lanes along major commercial corridors. The city also has 18 automated speed-camera locations planned to begin issuing warnings and fines in 2026.
Anyone with information about the September 4 crash is asked to contact Detective Paredes at 562-570-7358. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
