Bicyclist Killed in Oxnard Collision

Oxnard police said a 53-year-old Oxnard man was killed on May 30 after an unknown vehicle struck him while he was riding a bicycle on Fifth Street east of Harbor Boulevard. Officers responded at about 4:03 p.m. with emergency medical personnel to what the department described as an injury traffic collision involving a vehicle and bicyclist. The man was found on the side of the road along the eastbound lanes of Fifth Street with major injuries, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the driver fled and that the investigation remains ongoing. ### Where did the collision happen, and what did officers find? Fifth Street east of Harbor Boulevard was the location listed in the Oxnard Police Department’s May 30 news release. Police said officers arrived to find the bicyclist lying on the roadside along the eastbound lanes, with a black bicycle showing significant damage next to him. The department withheld the man’s name and identified him only as a 53-year-old male resident of Oxnard. (oxnard.gov) At about 4 p.m. Saturday, KCLU reported, police were called to the scene near Fifth Street and Harbor Boulevard and found the man on the ground with serious injuries. He was pronounced dead there, according to the station’s report, which cited the police investigation. ### What do investigators say happened before the bicyclist was killed? (oxnard.gov) Oxnard police said a preliminary investigation indicated the bicyclist was possibly traveling eastbound on Fifth Street when he was struck by an unknown vehicle that was also traveling eastbound. The impact ejected the rider from the bicycle and threw him onto the side of the road, according to the department. (kclu.org) KCLU reported that investigators believe the bicyclist was hit from behind by a vehicle moving in the same direction. The station said police are looking for potential witnesses to the collision. ### What is known about the driver and vehicle? The driver and vehicle had not been identified as of the Oxnard Police Department’s release. (oxnard.gov) Police listed both the driver and vehicle as unknown and said the motorist fled the scene after the collision. Impairment had not been ruled in or ruled out. The department said it was unknown whether impairment contributed to the collision. (kclu.org) ### Who is handling the case, and how can people provide information? Joseph Clarke, identified by the Oxnard Police Department as a traffic officer, is the contact named in the city’s release. Police asked anyone with information about the collision to contact Clarke at (805) 385-7749 or (805) 200-5668, or by email. (oxnard.gov) The department also said people with information can call Oxnard police at (805) 385-7600. The city’s release said email may be the most effective way to reach the investigator outside standard business hours. Watch commanders handling field-operations questions can also be reached at (805) 385-7746 or (805) 385-7778, according to the release. ### What happens next in the investigation? The Oxnard Police Department said the investigation is ongoing and did not give a date for identifying the bicyclist or releasing additional details about the vehicle. (oxnard.gov) Investigators are seeking witness accounts and any information that could help identify the driver who left the scene. As of June 1, KCLU reported that the search for the hit-and-run driver was continuing.