Lafayette police and sheriff’s deputies have closed a stretch of Reliez Valley Road after a collision between a cyclist and a semi tractor truck Thursday. The incident was reported at 12:28 p.m.
Lafayette Police Officers responded to the scene and found an injured male bicyclist on the ground. He was treated at the scene by Fire Department and ambulance personnel and transported to John Muir Medical Center, where he was later pronounced deceased.
The victim was identified as Martin Nelis, 54, of Pleasant Hill. Lafayette Mayor Don Tatzin, in a statement released Friday, said Nelis served as the Public Information Officer for the City of Pleasant Hill.
The Lafayette Police Department later located and impounded the truck involved in the collision and has interviewed the driver. Investigators asking that anyone who may have witnessed this incident or has any information is asked to contact the Lafayette Police Department at (925) 283-3680.
Terrible. Just terrible. Hoping he’s okay.
Prayers.
thoughts and prayers for his family. how awful.
We are so sorry to hear this. We ride out there often.
Theres a truck up by Queen of Heaven. Is it THE truck???
We have some additional information about this incident we are hoping to confirm, Sabrina, the whereabouts of the truck included.
Tell us he made it. This looks and sounds bad.
Keeping our fingers crossed like everyone else, Robert.
Keeping him in our prayers. It could have been us.
Such a pretty street there too. But it does get narrow and there are blind turns. So sorry to hear about this today.
This is not an area with blind turns. Just a lot of people doing 45+ in a 30mph zone.
In a perfect world, Reliez Valley would be bike rider heaven, with no cars, trucks, pedestrians, stop signs or driveways. In the real world, sadly, many thousands of vehicles go up and down the road daily, & yes, stop at stop signs, turn into driveways, get mail delivered, UPS packages, service people come and go, life happens. Every old house that gets sold in the Valley gets hundreds of thousands in renovations, swimming pools built, roadside fencing installed, sight lines reduced. The County has given the green light to a 44 home hillside subdivision just beyond where this accident happened which has added hundreds to trucks and heavy equipment to the mix, and will for years as it is built out. Would seem to me a bike rider with any sense might forgo a ride on scenic Reliez Valley in exchange for a safer ride somewhere else. In a perfect world. No extra charge for the snark.
And, I do hope the rider recovers to ride another day.
I was afraid of this. I could tell by your tone. May he rest in God’s hands now.
No. We’re so sorry for his family and friends.
Very sorry to hear this. I was hoping for a better outcome.
Build build build.