CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) - A cyclist who was looking down at his bike computer crashed into a parked police motorcycle in Carlsbad, with the entire collision captured by a passing Tesla's cameras.
Dustin Laemmlen was driving in the right lane of La Costa Ave. Thursday afternoon, when he witnessed the accident.
"I was heading east on La Costa toward the gym from the freeway," Laemmlen said.
As he approached, Laemmlen noticed a tow truck in front of a disabled SUV in the bike lane with a parked police motorcycle behind it, its lights flashing. Just as he passed, he caught a glimpse of the cyclist.
"In my peripheral there, I saw him flip, and I had an audible gasp," Laemmlen said.
According to police, the cyclist was looking down at his bike computer when he crashed into the back of the motorcycle, flipping both himself and his bike airborne before he landed on his back.
"I was just absolutely shocked. I was shaking and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, what did I just see?' Hopefully that guy is okay," Laemmlen said.
Laemmlen eventually made it to the gym and downloaded the video from his Tesla's two different cameras. When he reviewed the footage, his reaction was immediate.
"My first reaction, audible gasp again and then relief, because I saw that he actually sat up and started crawling toward the edge of the road," Laemmlen said.
Police reported the cyclist was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Laemmlen believes the outcome could have been worse.
"If that motorcycle hadn't been there, he would have run straight into the tow truck driver or straight into the SUV that was parked," Laemmlen said.
The incident raises questions about whether the collision could have been prevented.
"Would have been nice to have a couple cones or flares down," Laemmlen said.
Carlsbad Police explained that if a disabled vehicle was in traffic lanes, such precautions might be taken. However, when a vehicle is disabled in a bike lane, standard protocol is to activate emergency lights to alert others—a procedure that was followed in this case, with both the police motorcycle and tow truck flashing their emergency lights.
A few days after the incident, Laemmlen learned through a mutual friend that the cyclist was recovering well.
"Poor guy took the brunt of it. But thankfully, it seems he's okay," Laemmlen said.
Police described the damage to the motorcycle as moderate, and the cyclist was not cited.
Kevin Baross, Education Manager with the San Diego County Bike Coalition, viewed the video and offered a balanced perspective.
"There's blame to be placed, frankly, a little bit on both sides," Baross said.
While ceding the cyclist's inattention, Baross also pointed out potential issues with the emergency response setup.
"I suspect that because they were in the bike lane, the thought process was, well, you know, no one's going to come by here, you know. So what's the big deal?" Baross said.
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