Crime & Safety
Bicyclist Killed on Grand Avenue a Lake Elsinore Resident
Harry Dettloff, 46, was struck and killed by a pickup truck.
A bicyclist killed when a motorist inadvertently allowed his pickup truck to drift onto the shoulder of a Lakeland Village street was identified today as a 46-year-old resident of Lake Elsinore.
Harry Dettloff suffered fatal injuries Wednesday afternoon on southbound Grand Avenue, just north of Baldwin Boulevard. He was struck from behind by a 2005 Nissan Frontier and thrown to the pavement, said California Highway Patrol Officer Nathan Baer.
The cyclist was pronounced dead at the scene 20 minutes later.
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The 60-year-old Wildomar man at the wheel of the Nissan was not hurt, Baer said.
"Collisions like these are completely preventable and should not happen," the officer said. "The CHP ... cannot be everywhere at once, so it is up to the motorist to help us by avoiding distracted driving, obeying traffic laws, and thinking of others while driving."
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The motorist was not arrested, but the collision remains under investigation.