Details Released In Fatal Murrieta Crash Involving 73-Year-Old Cyclist

MURRIETA, CA — Details were released Monday about a fatal weekend crash in Murrieta involving a 73-year-old cyclist who hit an SUV that pulled to the side of the road.

The crash was reported shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday on Whitewood Road north of Poinsettia Street. The cyclist, identified by the coroner as Josef Binter of Murrieta, was heading north on Whitewood when up ahead a 37-year-old woman in an SUV had pulled over, just north of the Poinsettia Street intersection, and parked on the roadside to tend to her child in the backseat, according to the Murrieta Police Department.

Binter apparently did not see the stopped SUV and smashed into the vehicle's rear.

When officers arrived at the scene, the woman was standing near the crash and Binter was unresponsive and not breathing. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the police department.

No other injuries were reported.

"The Murrieta Police Department’s Traffic Bureau is conducting a full investigation into the cause of the collision," the department reported.

Anyone with information about the crash — and who has not been contacted by Murrieta police — is asked to contact Investigator Kurt Stickelman at 951-461-6306 or kstickelman@murrietaca.gov, or Sgt. Steve Whiddon at 951-461-6323 or swhiddon@murrietaca.gov.