HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol is seeking witnesses to an early Saturday morning bicycle crash that seriously injured a Hidden Valley Lake man.
Daniel Renninger, 21, suffered major injuries in the crash, which occurred at 1:45 a.m. Saturday, according to a report from the CHP's Clear Lake Area office.
The report explained that CHP Dispatch was contacted at 10:45 a.m. Saturday and notified of a possible major injury bicycle crash on Deer Hill Road, north of Hidden Valley Road in Hidden Valley Lake, that had occurred earlier that morning.
It was reported to the CHP that the bicycle's rider was convulsing and unresponsive, and had been flown to Vacaville Kaiser Hospital for treatment, the CHP said.
After local CHP officers arrived on scene, it was requested that a Vacaville CHP officer respond to the hospital to identify the bicycle rider, according to the report.
Vacaville CHP officers arrived at the hospital to find the rider was still unresponsive and had not been identified. The CHP said the Vacaville Police Department responded to the hospital with an electronic fingerprint identification device and was still not able to identify the rider.
Clear Lake Area CHP officers and Lake County Sheriff's personnel began canvassing the Hidden Valley Lake area with photos of the bike rider in an attempt to identify him, the CHP said.
Eventually, the rider's family contacted the Lake County Sheriff's Office and identified the injured man as Renninger, according to the CHP report.
Based on its investigation into the crash and information from witnesses, the CHP determined that Renninger was riding his bicycle southbound on Deer Hill Road, approaching Hidden Valley Road, when – for unknown reasons – he lost control of the bike and fell onto the road, which resulted in major head injuries.
The CHP said Renninger did not have a forward light on the bicycle and was not wearing a helmet.
Any witnesses to the incident are asked to call the Clear Lake Area CHP office at 707-279-0103.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.