Santa Cruz Cyclist Injured by Car on Highway 1

A Santa Cruz bicyclist is being treated for major injuries suffered in a crash with a car Wednesday morning on a remote stretch of state Highway 1 south of Davenport.

California Highway Patrol officers said Joaquin Martinez, 58, was riding his hybrid road-style mountain bike on northbound Highway 1 near Bonny Doon Road around 8:30 a.m. when he collided with a Toyota Tacoma driving in the same direction.

Officers said the driver of the car, 65-year-old Michael Tuttle of Santa Cruz, stopped at the scene after the crash and was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

A medical helicopter transported Martinez to Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto.

Both lanes of traffic on Highway 1 were blocked for an hour after the crash as CHP officers investigated the scene.

CHP Officer Sarah Jackson said investigators are still working to determine the cause of the crash.

"It was foggy this morning," Jackson said. "We have not assessed blame to either party at this point."

She said Martinez was wearing a helmet and using reflectors at the time of the crash, but added that it's unclear whether he was riding in the bike lane or on the roadway.

Bay City News Service