Bicyclist run down in alleged DUI wreck
| Tuesday, Jun 30 2009 06:48 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Jun 30 2009 07:04 PM
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CoCo Walters / The Californian
Alton Saceaux, participant in the Bike Bakersfield Criterium at Silver Creek Community Center, bikes through the finish line for his last lap in the Men's Citizen's race in May 2008.
A well-known Bakersfield bicyclist, who once rode from Bakersfield to Canada by himself, was killed Monday night by a suspected drunken driver, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Alton Saceaux was in the right hand lane when a pickup driven by 67-year-old Douglas Kaiser struck him from behind, officers said.
Saceaux was wearing a helmet and had his lights on. He was an outspoken proponent of safe riding, saying in a 2003 interview that a bicyclist has to assume he's invisible and stay out of harm's way.
Saceaux was riding near the right shoulder shortly after dark and the pickup veered into him, officers said. The stretch of roadway south of Houghton Road has four traffic lanes.
Kaiser drove off, but returned later. He doesn't appear to have any past drunken driving arrests.
Drunk driving is an escalating problem in Kern, soaring by 42 percent in the last five years. Drunken driving cases were filed against nearly 6,200 people in Kern County last year and more than 1,400 had at least one prior drunken driving case.
Saceaux was well aware of the dangers of riding bicycles on streets. One of his friends, 60-year-old physical fitness expert Norm Hoffman was killed eight years ago when a teen driver struck him from behind on Fairfax Road as the teen reached for something in her car.
Saceaux was remembered Tuesday as a bicycle enthusiast who made friends easily and was always upbeat.
"The guy was very motivational and positive," said Kerry Ryan, owner of Action Sports. "He liked to encourage cycling as a way of life."
Saceaux was a crew member on the 2004 Race Across America which was won by the Action Sports team.
A longtime friend, Ryan Freeborn, called Saceaux "charismatic and genuine."
Saceaux was married to his wife, Alice, for 33 years. The couple have three children. He worked for Nabisco as a customer sales representative.
Kaiser faces charges of vehicular manslaughter while driving drunk, felony drunken driving and hit and run.
