Five drivers were racing when one fatally struck California bicyclist, family’s lawsuit alleges
Acura, Lamborghini, Ferrari and two Porsches were speeding on Fresno County road, the suit says.
Five drivers were racing on a rural Central Valley road when one of the cars struck and killed a bicyclist last year, a lawsuit by her family says.
Bicyclist Adela Santana-Mullooly, 51, was riding on Watts Valley Road in Fresno County on the morning of Oct. 2 when an Acura NSX crossed the center line on a curve and struck her head-on, the California Highway Patrol said. She died at the scene.
The suit alleges the Acura’s driver — a 45-year-old Clovis man — was racing at least four other cars and contends the drivers exhibited “a wanton disregard” for the safety of others, the Fresno Bee reported.
The other cars were two Porsche 911s, a Lamborghini and a Ferrari, the suit says.
The two-lane Watts Valley Road, which extends from ranchland north of Sanger to the Sierra Nevada foothills, is a favorite route of bicyclists. Santana-Mullooly was riding with a group on the Sunday morning, training for a daylong ride later that month, the Fresno Cycling Club said in a memorial post. Around 10:20 a.m. she was westbound, heading toward Fresno, when the eastbound Acura struck her while cresting a small rise.
Santana-Mullooly taught anthropology at Fresno State and Clovis Community College. She is survived by her husband, their three sons — a 12-year-old and 10-year-old twins — and an 18-year-old stepson and 21-year-old stepdaughter, her obituary said.
The suit seeks financial damages from the Acura’s driver.