Modern Vespa

Santa Rosa electric motorcycle entrepreneur killed

Associated Press August 31, 2010 05:49 AM
Tuesday, August 31, 2010

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/08/31/state/n054954D71.DTL

(08-31) 05:49 PDT Santa Rosa, Calif. (AP) --

A Santa Rosa entrepreneur who was working with a business in India to promote electric motorcycles in that country has died in a car-motorcycle crash near a California shopping mall.

Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Doug Schlief says 29-year-old Matthew Dieckmann was riding an electric motorcycle near the Coddingtown Mall at about 10:40 a.m. Monday when a Toyota Prius collided with the cycle.

Schlief says Dieckmann hit the car's passenger side. He died at the scene.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Dieckmann was wearing a helmet. Schlief says investigators are still trying to determine who may have been at fault.

The Prius driver, 71-year-old Gilbert Dorame of Santa Rosa, wasn't hurt.

Dieckmann was the founder of Santa Rosa-based Electric Race Bikes.

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Information from: The Santa Rosa Press Democrat, www.pressdemocrat.com



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/08/31/state/n054954D71.DTL#ixzz0yCfphUpF

Mall and shopping center parking lots are deathtraps for scooterists, bicyclists and pedestrians. I am always hyper-alert when I'm near one or in one.

This is just a really sad story. What a loss.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends. Personally i think all things electric on wheels need to have built in sound. You can't hear them at all and it drove me nuts in China, where on any one given day i almost got killed by one of them Now they ride on the sidewalk and basically anywhere they want but still not good to not be able to hear something coming IMHO

+1
Electric scooter paired with Prius which is virtually silent at low speeds is a tragic combination. I drive a Prius and have (not on purpose) startled many pedestrians. Thoughts with family and friends...

Here are the bikes the guy made.













http://www.electricracebikes.com/scooter.html

Oh this is terrible news. What a shame. My heart goes out to the family.