Bicycle accident claims the life of Ojai businessman
Oct. 30, 2012
Monica Lara, OVN correspondent
An Ojai man died in a traffic collision while bicycling to Ventura Friday.
Phillip “Russ” Vivian, 61, was cycling when he collided with a Ford utility truck near Foster Park and Highway 33. The accident occurred at 8:50 a.m. at the intersection of Santa Ana Road and Casitas Vista Road. Vivian was cycling south on Santa Ana Road and the truck driver was headed west on Casitas Vista Road, when the two collided.
There is a stop sign on Santa Ana Road, but not one for traffic travelling on Casitas Vista Road.
“The officer at the scene reported he (Vivian) did not stop at the stop sign when the collision happened,” said Steve Reid, California Highway Patrol public information officer.
Vivian was reportedly wearing a helmet and other safety gear.
He could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The accident is still under investigation, according to Reid.
Vivian was an Ojai resident for 16 years. A local businessman, Vivian owned Ojai Stitchworks, on Bryant Circle, for 15 years. The company specializes in clothing manufacturing, such as embroidery and screen-printing. In 2006, he acquired and ran Celtic Fashions, an Irish and Scottish clothing design company.
Bicycling was among the several hobbies he enjoyed with his wife, Sally O’Dell.
Services will be held for Vivian at the Ojai Presbyterian Church, 304 N. Foothill Road, Nov. 4. at 3 p.m.
Kate, I came by the accident scene not long after the event, and, without getting too graphic, there was obvious evidence that would indicate that the bicyclist was in the lane that the truck was in traveling up the canyon toward Casitas Dam. The truck had the right-of-way, in that he did not have a stop sign for the direction he was traveling.
I too find it hard to fathom that Russ would blow this stop sign, but there was plenty of evidence for the professionals who recreate these things. It was plain to see what happened.
What a tragedy. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. What I sense in these comments is a lot of hostility and misinformation between drivers and cyclists. It’s time for PSA on road sharing!
Sufisue: Please don’t use this unfortunate incident to spout bs about cycling. If you are on the road surface on your bike, you are a considered a motor vehicle and you have to behave as such. You are NOT technically a pedestrian just because you put your foot down-that’s ridiculous.
All stop signs deserve at least a slow down by any thinking cyclist, if any cars are present at all, it deserves a full stop.
Very unfortunate accident. If he had utilized the bike path, which, by the way, goes all the way to Ventura, had stopped at the stop signs, walked his bike across the crosswalk as we teach our CHILDREN to do he might still be alive. Bikes are NOT motor vehicles and the riders should not feel that they can ride anywhere safely and blame all accidents on those nasty motorists even if the bike rider doesn’t want to follow State traffic laws.
Suefisue, you should be ashamed. To state that you run stop signs and want to be a treated as a pedestrian, is mutually exclusive. Why don’t you follow the law and get off your bike and walk it across! Pedestrians at least stop at the curb and the walk across the crosswalk. Read Nanette’s post!!!
Try driving on Santa Ana with all these idiotic bicycle riders. They are a danger to all including the vehicles! These half brains drive a road that not only has agricultural equipment but a bunch of half drunk visitors to Casitas trying to learn how to pull a trailer! The riders arrogantly form two wide formations ride at 15mph and wave you around them. CHP needs to watch these half brains!
Did anybody witness (besides the driver) whether Russ stopped at the stop sign? I know Russ a little bit and he is a bright and cautious person. I find it hard to believe that he would blow past that stop sign.
Unless there was a witness, I would question what happened and hope the police determine the speed of the vehicle.
There is too much to lose for pedestrians and bicyclists if they don’t stop at crosswalks clearly marked STOP.
I may not always come to a complete stop at all stop signs, but I always slow to a near stop and unclip. I stop and put one foot down if there is a car. Bicyclist are required to follow all traffic rules and it is for our own safety that we stop at stop signs!
Thank you Nanette. I get a little tired of the bicyclists that don’t follow the rules of the road, yet have the nerve to get upset if they are not given the right of way.
This would never have happened had the traffic laws been obeyed by the cyclist. Now many lives are being affected by this tragic death.
I was unfortunate to have come upon this tragedy only minutes after it had happened. The place where this happened you must stop!!! you cannot take a chance and slow down. There is a curve in the road on Casitas Vista which does not give someone driving west on Casitas Vista any reaction time to stop . I saw the poor person who was driving the truck bent over wailing incessantly being consoled by others on the sceen. This should not have happened. Two lives changed that day forever.
This is so sad. My condolences to the friends and family.
As an avid bicyclist I have found that its often a crap shoot at stop signs. If I stop, I have to put my feet on the ground, at which point I am technically a pedestrian so the car has to give way, and they almost always stop, thus making my stop seem unnecessary. If I just slow down and catch their eye, they usually stop also, no matter who has the right of way. And of course on the quiet side roads where you can hear whether a car is coming, why stop at all? I personally think cyclists should be legally considered the same as pedestrians. We are far closer to that then a several ton car or truck.
sorry to hear of his passing. So many bicyclist disregard the stop signs in Ojai it is not surprising more are not injured or killed. The Ojai police need to crack down on this before more are killed.