Motorist Assaulted by Cyclists in Santa Clara
A driver in California was left with serious injuries, including broken ribs and a fractured vertebra, after an altercation with a group of cyclists following an accident. The incident occurred on a street in Santa Clara, as reported by KGO-TV.
John Hidalgo, the injured motorist, told police, “I fractured rib number 12 on my left side,” adding, “my second lumbar vertebra was fractured. It may not look like I’m seriously injured, but I’m in pain.”
Hidalgo recounted that an electric bicycle rider ran a red light and collided with his car. Shortly after, a large group of cyclists arrived on the scene and wrongly accused him of causing the accident.
Video footage reportedly captured the group attacking Hidalgo, violently punching and kicking him, and even vandalizing his vehicle. You can find clips showing the confrontation.
“I was just fighting for my life, you know?” Hidalgo shared with the station. “You don’t really have time to think about it. It’s unbelievable. But it seems to be becoming the norm now.”
He suggested that the attackers might have been participating in an informal “rideout,” a gathering where cyclists take over streets and sometimes engage in risky stunts.
Details from KGO-TV also highlighted another incident where a cyclist impeded traffic on Highway 101 in San Jose, as well as previous violent interactions linked to bicycle riders.
Hidalgo expressed his concern for innocent bystanders affected by such altercations, asking, “The next time something like this happens, are they going to kill someone? Will someone get fed up with what they’re doing and run them over?”
The Santa Clara Police Department has acknowledged the video and is currently investigating the matter.
Hidalgo conveyed his frustration about witnessing reckless behavior by children and cyclists. “We have to stop that,” he said, emphasizing that it’s not too much to ask for safety measures when people are getting hurt.
In a similar incident last year, Los Angeles police reported that a group of cyclists assaulted a lone male during the day, with the attack captured on video showing a brutal attack amidst traffic.
