Bicyclist Crash Prompts Authorities to Warn Drivers

The death of a 44-year-old bicyclist from La Quinta prompted authorities today to warn vehicle drivers to be “focused on the task of driving and (on) the road ahead of them.”

Mark Ledbetter of La Quinta was killed when he was hit by a car in Bermuda Dunes on Saturday, August 7th. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the
crash that was reported shortly after 7 a.m. in the 79900 block of Country Club
Drive, just west of Avenue 42.

Indio resident Chad Priest, 29, who was riding another bicycle alongside of Ledbetter, received scrapes and cuts on his left arm and shoulder and was treated at the scene, said a CHP Officer.

Authorities also said the two men were riding westbound on Country Club Drive
about half a mile west of Avenue 42 — LedBetter to the left of the white-line
shoulder line and Priest to the right of the line.

He said a 2009 Dodge Caliber, driven by 32-year-old Anthony Peraza of
Coachella, was going in the same direction on Country Club Drive and, “for
reasons yet to be determined,” Peraza’s vehicle struck the cyclists.
Authorities do not know how fast Peraza’s vehicle was traveling, the CHP
officer said. Peraza wasn’t listed in jail or court records, and it was unclear if he was cited or arrested.

Authorities said, “This collision demonstrates the importance of drivers remaining focused on the task of driving and the road ahead of them … It is also important to remind both drivers and cyclists to share the valley roads.”