San Rafael, CA – Marin County Parks has turned to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office to investigate a violent confrontation February 26 between a female hiker and a male mountain biker on a trail in the Terra Linda/Sleepy Hollow Divide Open Space Preserve that left the hiker injured.
The incident took place just after 3 p.m. near the entrance to the 680 Trail on the Luiz Ranch Fire Road, a trail that connects the Lucas Valley neighborhood just north of San Rafael with Big Rock Ridge, which separates that area from southern Novato.
According to preliminary reports, the hiker was heading down the trail and the biker was riding uphill when there was low-speed contact between the hiker and the bike’s pedal or handlebar. Words were exchanged seconds before and after the contact, and the cyclist continued uphill. The hiker decided to pursue the cyclist to take a photo of him, leading to a physical confrontation.
A witness called 911, and two open space rangers and a deputy sheriff arrived to find the woman with visible bruises, cuts and swelling to her head, arm, torso and leg. They assisted with transporting the woman down the hill to a San Rafael Fire Department ambulance waiting at the Mount Muir Gate on Lucas Valley Road. The woman was taken to a local hospital, and the cyclist was not found.
Since 2010, Marin County Parks has hosted 16 public meetings about road and trail safety and improving visitor experiences. It has developed a Road and Trail Management Plan that establishes a sustainable system of roads and trails, and reducing the environmental impact on sensitive resources, habitats, riparian areas and special-status plant and animal species.