Bicyclist seriously injured on Oak Crest Road

An east Fallbrook resident is cautioning bicyclists to be cautious on local streets after her husband, Douglas Bailey, 77, was seriously injured while on a bike ride about a half mile from their home on Oak Crest Road, near Rainbow Glen Road, Tuesday, June 15, at about 4:45 p.m.

“Apparently he veered to avoid two cars coming from opposite directions and went head over the handlebars,” said Chris Bailey, 74, who said she first thought it was a hit-and-run accident. “He was just left there like roadkill.”

The California Highway Patrol officer investigating the incident, as well as bystanders, said neither car struck Bailey and that the drivers may not have known that he came off the bike.

Bailey was taken by paramedics to Palomar Hospital in Escondido, where he had a five-hour brain surgery on June 20.

“He remains paralyzed, though he has been able to move his fingers and feet slightly,” Chris Bailey said. “We really don’t know what will happen but are hoping for recovery. They expect him to be in recovery at the hospital for a month.”

Douglas Bailey is a retired Navy captain and was also a commercial airplane pilot for 33 years, flying Boeing 777s until he retired at age 73.

“I just wanted people to be aware of the dangers on Fallbrook streets,” she said. “It’s just not safe. This could happen to anyone.”

The Baileys have lived in Fallbrook for two years.