CARLSBAD — An 86-year-old Oceanside man died following a vehicle collision with an e-bike in Carlsbad, according to the Carlsbad Police Department and San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Jerry Richards of Oceanside, as identified by the medical examiner’s office, was riding his e-bike in the Calavera Hills Village community on the morning of July 31.
Richards entered the intersection of Carlsbad Village Drive and Harwich Drive, near Calavera Hills Community Center and Park, around 7:50 a.m. when he was struck by a vehicle. He later died from multiple blunt-force injuries at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, according to the medical examiner’s office.
A police spokesperson said a preliminary investigation indicated Richards entered the intersection against a red light. The investigation remains ongoing.
During the first six months of 2026, Carlsbad police reported 32 e-bike collisions and 16 bicycle collisions.
Carlsbad recorded 100 bicycle and e-bike collisions in 2021 and 57 during the first half of 2022 before declaring a local state of emergency, according to city records.
In February, the city adopted a suite of new e-bike laws, including a ban on riders younger than 12.
The policies took effect May 26 and led to 53 written warnings, 20 citations and 40 e-bike and e-motorcycle impoundments during the first six weeks, through July 6, according to a recent city manager’s update.
Police also responded to more than 230 e-bike-related complaints during that period.
