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Menlo-Atherton High School’s athletic coach Dylan Taylor died in a fatal traffic collision while riding his bicycle near an intersection on Middlefield Road and Prior Lane in Atherton on May 7. Taylor was one of the freshman football coaches at M-A and the youth basketball and track and field coach for La Entrada Elementary and Hillview MIddle schools.
M-A Principal Karl Losekoot shared an email with the community and staff on Wednesday afternoon. According to the message, Taylor sustained life threatening injuries and did not survive the crash.
Taylor grew up in the community and was known by many for his work as a paraeducator for middle schoolers and athletic coach for the local youth. Losekoot’s email ensured that M-A would have additional counselors on hand to provide students and staff with emotional support. Staff will also be checking in with students who were on the football team and were previously coached by Taylor.
Atherton police state that preliminary findings indicate the collision occurred when the vehicle was turning right onto Prior Lane while Taylor was in the designated bicycle lane. Taylor was transported by medical personnel to a nearby hospital and was pronounced dead shortly after.
“This marks the first fatal traffic collision in Atherton this year,” said Atherton police in a May 8 press release.
“The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and is cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation,” said law enforcement officials. “At this time, there is no indication that alcohol or drugs were contributing factors in the collision.”
Can we please be less anodyne and passive in describing this?
Headline: M-A athletic coach struck and killed in bike lane
Incident description: Atherton police state that preliminary findings indicate that Mr Taylor was riding in the bike lane when struck and killed by a motorist turning onto Prior Lane
See location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/xwTRgKpkAqGFuCxq8
By description Mr. Lane was proceeding left to right (North to South), presumably in the well-marked bike lane as he approached Prior Lane.
It is not stated but either the driver ran over Mr Taylor while overtaking to turn onto Prior Ln. Or, more likely, the motorist failed to merge into the bike lane – as required by the CVC – and then turned across the path or directly into Mr Lane. This is a common failure by many motorists and is dangerous. The law requires motorists to merge into the bike lane – like any other lane – in the last 200 feet (marked here with dashed green zone) before making a right turn. Turning directly ACROSS a bike lane is neither safe nor legal.
While we certainly don’t want to further traumatize the community, we need to be more clear about the preventable nature of these fatalities. Being vague and passive does not help.