Family members and bicycle advocates say the California Highway Patrol botched key details in its investigation of a fatal bicycle crash this month involving a Sacramento Superior Court judge, deepening their skepticism about the agency’s handling of the case.
On Nov. 2, Judge Matthew Gary was driving his Toyota pickup truck on Fair Oaks Boulevard when he hit a bicycle ridden by Margaret Bengs, 66, who died the next day. Shortly after her death, a CHP spokeswoman said Bengs appeared to be at fault, in part because she was not wearing a helmet.
But a witness who stayed with her until paramedics arrived said she was wearing a helmet, and Bengs’ family says she had two helmets among her belongings at the hospital. Her relatives also note that Bengs died the day after the crash, not two days after, as the CHP had first reported.
Anne Bengs Maffucci said her sister suffered a crushed skull, two broken arms and a shattered kidney in the crash, and was taken off life support at the family’s request.
“The CHP seems a bit negligent,” Maffucci said. “I hate to say this is a cover-up, but it seems like they are trying to slough this off like everything is OK.”
To read the full report at the Sacramento Bee, click here. For a list of Sacramento Family Court News articles about controversial Judge Matthew Gary, click here.
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