be careful out there - accident report

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MARTINEZ
Cyclist critical after 70-foot fall
Erin Hallissy

Tuesday, April 12, 2005 SF Chronicle

A mountain biker who fell 70 feet from a closed Contra Costa County road down a steep, wooded ravine was in critical condition Monday at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.

Gerald Hjelle, 50, of Martinez was cycling Sunday afternoon on Carquinez Scenic Drive between Martinez and Port Costa when he lost control at a portion of the roadway that has almost disappeared because of continuing landslides, said East Bay Regional Parks supervisor Bill Nichols.

A 5-mile stretch of Carquinez Scenic Drive west of Martinez was closed after landslides in 1982. The county stopped most maintenance of the two-lane road, which has "No Trespassing" signs prominently displayed, but it remains popular with hikers and bicyclists because of its stunning views and its lack of traffic.

The area where the accident occurred has just a small portion of paved roadway remaining.

"It's like a road in the Amazon rain forest,'' Nichols said.

A Coast Guard cutter that was in the Carquinez Strait spotted Hjelle on the hillside, and an emergency helicopter from Sonoma County was called in to rescue him. He had a broken vertebra and cuts and bruises.