Cyclist killed, woman injured near Slabs

SLAB CITY — A 25-year-old male bicyclist was killed and a 23-year-old woman being towed by him su ered a partial amputation of her leg when they were hit by a pickup on Beal Road, somewhere in the vicinity of The Range stage here Wednesday night, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The man who died was a resident of Titusville, Fla. Highway Patrol o cials do know his identity but his next of kin had not been contacted yet.

He apparently died at the scene from blunt force trauma when he smashed into the windshield of the pickup, Highway Patrol Public Information O cer Javier Amezcua said.

The woman, identified as Taylor Bing McCready of Grants Pass, Ore., su ered the partial amputation as well as a fracture to her right arm and a laceration to her face. She was being towed in a cart of some sort by the bicyclist with her dog beside her. The dog was killed in the collision. Amezcua said McCready was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center by helicopter.

The driver of the pickup was Kenneth Riggs, 39, of Niland, who Amezcua said was driving at a rate of speed of 50 mph when the collision occurred. He was believed to actually be driving under the speed limit at the time of the accident. He was not arrested, and drugs nor alcohol were thought to be involved in the incident.

The accident was reported to California Highway Patrol at 7:52 p.m.

Amezcua, who said Riggs was traveling east on Beal Road, said it appeared to be a situation where the bicyclist might have been on the wrong side of the road when the collision occurred.

Amezcua said Riggs might have been on his way to his brother’s aid at the time of the incident. It appears Imperial County sheriff’s deputies were involved in a short pursuit with another man by the last name of Riggs who had a firearm in his possession. No other information was available on how the cases might be connected.