53-year old man killed in Oxnard hit-and-run Saturday afternoon; third bicycling death in Oxnard this year, second by hit-and-run

It’s been a bad year for bike riders in Ventura County.

And it’s just getting started.

According to KEYT-TV, a man was discovered lying on the side of the road on Fifth Street near Harbor Blvd in Oxnard shortly after 4 pm Saturday, suffering from severe injuries.

A paywalled story from the Ventura County Star reports his badly damaged bicycle was discovered nearby.

The victim, identified only as a 53-year old man, died at the scene.

Police determined that he had been riding east on Fifth when he was apparently rear-ended by a driver headed in the same direction, who fled the scene.

There’s no description of the driver or suspect vehicle at this time, and no word on which way they fled.

A street view shows bike lanes on Harbor, but nothing on Fifth.

Anyone with information is urged to call Officer Joseph Clarke at 805/385-7749, or email joseph.clarke@oxnardpd.org.

This is the 32nd bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the fifth we know about in Ventura County; three of those deaths have now occurred in Oxnard.

It was also the 9th fatal hit-and-run involving a bike rider in Southern California this year.