Seth Pollack left cross fatality in Pebble Beach

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Serge Issakov

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Dec 21, 2025, 9:37:40 AM12/21/25
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A friend from my hometown of Monterey shared this tragic story with me, covered remarkably well in this week’s Carmel Pine Cone. 


In short, CHP “investigation” somehow concluded cyclist Pollack was riding on the wrong side of the road. Security video from a home proved them wrong. It was a text book left cross. R.I.P. Seth Pollack. 

Serge



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John Eldon

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Dec 21, 2025, 4:00:47 PM12/21/25
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My one "encounter of the wrong kind" with a motor vehicle occurred 49 years ago and was a classic "I didn't see him" left cross to enter a driveway. I am sick of the segregationists' dismissal of my safety concerns related to this type of collision. Pollack may have veered left at the last minute, simply to avoid the collision. Ironically, if he had been guilty of riding on the wrong side of the road, he might have avoided this particular collision, so I have no idea where the CHP is coming from, other than to try to hang blame on him instead of where it belongs. 

John E.

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Scott Mace

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Mar 21, 2026, 3:37:16 PMMar 21
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Followup story in yesterday's Carmel Pine Cone:

Widow sues driver in cyclist's death

By Mary Schley
Carmel Pine Cone, March 20, 2026

https://carmelpinecone.com/260320PC.pdf

While no criminal charges have been filed against Pebble Beach resident Dana Lauchlan since the California Highway Patrol identified her as the driver who struck cyclist Seth Pollack on 17 Mile Drive late last year, his window, Naomi Pollack, is suing her for wrongful death and negligence.

Her account of the crash matches that conveyed by a nearby surveillance camera but contradicts the CHP's account, which blamed the bicyclist.

According to a report filed by CHP officer Jaskaran Bhaurla soon after the incident, Pollack, 66, was cycling westbound on Crespi Lane as Lauchlan was turning left onto the street from southbound 17 Mile Drive and "for reasons still under investigation, the rider of the bicycle crossed into the eastbound lane and crashed into the Toyota SUV."

But footage from a camera on a nearby home showed that's not what happened. While grainy, it depicts the driver approaching Pollack on 17 Mile Drive and then turning left onto Crespi, directly into the cyclist's path as he was riding straight ahead. The car strikes him, his bicycle flies up in the air, and Pollack lands on top of Lauchlan's SUV.

'Violently ejected'

The highway patrol reported Pollack was declared dead at the scene and that Lauchlan was transported to the hospital "for suspected possible injuries." The officer also said alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the crash.

In the wrongful death suit, which was filed by attorney Larry Beigel on the widow's behalf, Lauchlan is described as driving a 2011 Toyota Venza southbound on 17 Mile Drive while Pollack, "who was the beloved husband of plaintiff, was operating a bicycle traveling northbound on 17 Mile Drive."

"He was an experienced cyclist and had traveled this route on many occasions," according to the complaint, which was filed in Monterey County Superior Court Wednesday.

Lauchlan then turned left onto Crespi and "entered decedent's path in such a sudden manner that she collided head-on with the decedent's bicycle with the bumper of her vehicle."

The account that follows states he was "violently ejected from his bicycle and sustained catastrophic blunt force trauma" after his "body first struct the front windshield of the Toyota, shattering it, and was then propelled upward into the air, subsequently crashing through the glass moonroof of the Toyota before coming to rest in the back seat."

Medics pronounced Pollack dead at 9:33 a.m.

Damages sought

The complaint goes on to describe his background, accomplishments and personal life in language reminiscent of an obituary before outlining the damages his wife and family are suffering as a consequence of his death, "including but not limited to loss of financial support, loss of companionship, care, comfort and society, and other economic and non-economic losses."

She alleges wrongful death, as Lauchlan had a duty "to operate her motor vehicle with reasonable care and to keep a proper lookout for other roadway users, including bicyclists," and negligence for her failure to yield to oncoming traffic when she made the turn.

Pollack is seeking wrongful death damages, "including economic and non-economic damages recoverable by a surviving spouse," the costs of the suit and other relief.

The case has been assigned to Monterey County Superior Court Judge Julie Culver, with a hearing set for July 21.

John Eldon

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Mar 21, 2026, 3:47:09 PMMar 21
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Thank you. In 1976, a left cross into a driveway caused my one collision with a motor vehicle (double fracture of my left clavicle, concussion, overnight in UCLA hospital, "dueling scar" on left cheekbone, bent-back double-butted Reynolds 531 frame). Distraught motorist admitted fault, and her liability insurance paid up. Brava for Naomi Pollack pressing a civil suit. She deserves to win a big settlement. The CHP is full of *%*! on this one. 

John 

Leo Jed

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Mar 21, 2026, 7:01:42 PMMar 21
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Here come the stories ...... 
Similarly, my one encounter with a motor vehicle was a left cross by a panel van, on soquel drive near Dominican hospital in Santa Cruz.

Leo

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John Eldon

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Mar 21, 2026, 7:09:46 PMMar 21
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Sad there are so many such stories ... . I have made a few changes since, including a far better helmet, bright yellow cycling jacket, dayime running lights front and rear, and positioning myself farther from the line of parked cars or curb. Visibility is the game. NOTE: I am not victim-blaming anyone, just trying to learn what I can from my own mishap. 

John 

William Sellin

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Mar 24, 2026, 3:36:36 AMMar 24
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Yep - me too - minor left cross while I was in a side path - slow & no injury or damage to my bicycle, but my brake handle scratched their hood - the wrote me asking for bodywork damages - I declined & suggested they talk to law & legal experts to better understand the responsibility of turning across my path of travel - never heard back. 

I also have a front facing flashing light in daytime and choose visible colors and am alert to the left cross hazard, which is not always avoidable when motorists fail to signal and speed.

William Sellin (Bill)
Area Liaison to Caltrans District 12


League of American Bicyclists
 "Certified Bicycle Advocate”

Jim Baross

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Mar 24, 2026, 10:22:53 AMMar 24
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Me too though many years ago. A classic situation, broken collar bone. 
As someone cautioned, "road rash is your friend" making us/me more aware of potential hazards, smarter and cautious to avoid repetitions.

Jim Baross
CABO President

Scott Mace

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Apr 2, 2026, 1:37:21 AMApr 2
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Another story about Seth Pollack in last Friday's Carmel Pine Cone. The motorist has been charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.

CHP cites driver in fatal P.B. crash

By Mary Schley

Carmel Pine Cone, March 27, 2026

The Pebble Beach woman who hit a cyclist with her car while driving on 17 Mile Drive last December has been cited for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, according to Monterey County Superior Court records. Last week, the widow of the victim sued her in civil court for wrongful death.

On Dec. 5, 2025, Dana Lauchlan was driving her 2011 Toyota Venza southbound on 17 Mile Drive while Monterey resident Seth Pollack was bicycling northbound. Lauchlan turned left onto Crespi directly in front of Pollack, who collided with the bumper and windshield and was thrown into the air before hitting the vehicle's roof.

The California Highway Patrol's initial report described the incident differently and blamed Pollack for the crash, alleging he was riding down Crespi and veered into the driver's path, but footage from a nearby security camera showed him riding on 17 Mile Drive with the clear right of way.

In a March 6 letter sent to Lauchlan at her home on Crest Road, Monterey County deputy district attorney Gregory Peterson advised her she's been charged with violating section 192(c)(2) of the California Penal Code, misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, and ordered her to appear in court in Salinas on April 8 for her arraignment.

'Without gross negligence'

The brief complaint filed alongside the letter describes the allegation that she "did unlawfully and without malice kill Seth Pollack, a human being, while driving a vehicle in the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony, but without gross negligence, and while driving a vehicle in the commission of a lawful act which might have produced death in an unlawful manner but without gross negligence."

In other words, the fatal collision was an accident but was nonetheless a crime. Therefore, Lauchlan is charged with a misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Scott Mace

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Apr 8, 2026, 4:49:18 PMApr 8
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There's an editorial in last Friday's Pine Cone asserting that a Tesla in FSD mode would not have hit Seth Pollack. I'm not going to post the full text here, but anyone who wants to read it can download the entire issue here: https://carmelpinecone.com/260403PC.pdf

Scott Mace

John Eldon

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Apr 8, 2026, 4:57:26 PMApr 8
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I hope this information is correct, but I cannot verify it. 

John E.

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Serge Issakov

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Apr 8, 2026, 5:45:30 PMApr 8
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It’s on page 26A. Below is the relevant text.

Very valid point, in my opinion. What confuses a lot of people is that self-driving cars still make mistakes, and typically these are mistakes that human drivers would never make, but overall they’re already making fewer mistakes than average human drivers, and, unlike human drivers, are getting better/safer all the time.

Avoiding hitting cyclists and pedestrians is low hanging fruit for them. I’d be very surprised if a Tesla in FSD, or a Waymo, would ever left cross a cyclist, including an edge rider dressed in black riding in the dark with no lights. 

Serge

———-
The biggest advantage of them all, however, comes from only one type of electric car. Teslas can drive themselves, with virtually no input from the driver.
This remarkable technological advance has only existed since Tesla released version 14 of its "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)" software early last year, and it seems that very few people have tried it and understand what it can do. But once you get behind the wheel, it quickly becomes clear that this software drives your car much better — and way more safely — than any human driver ever could. Because it utilizes seven cameras that are looking in all directions simultaneously, it spots many hazards that human drivers might see too late, or not at all. Its computer also processes those inputs faster than any human could, and it never gets angry or sleepy or distracted or drunk.
Case in point: When a bicyclist was killed on 17-Mile Drive several months ago, the accident happened because an oncoming driver didn't notice him before turning directly into his path. If that car had been a Tesla in FSD mode, the accident would not have happened.
Or think about those times a motorcyclist suddenly zooms past you between lanes on a freeway. Most drivers don't notice them until they're already passing, making it possible to hit them while innocently changing lanes. But an FSD Tesla, which has three cameras looking backward, will see them coming from quite a distance and take steps to avoid a collision.
There are reports of Teslas traveling thousands of miles — all the way from Florida to California — with no driver inputs. We don't think the cars are quite that good. But you can use Tesla's Full Self-Driving software 99 percent of the time in complete safety without so much as touching the steering wheel or pedals. Truly, it's an amazing invention.
Accidents can still happen, of course, but the sooner every car is equipped with Tesla's technology, the sooner this country can start saving thousands of lives and billions of dollars in property damage a year.
—————-




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Pete Penseyres

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Apr 8, 2026, 7:37:29 PMApr 8
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I just bought a Tesla with FSD (Supervised) and can personally attest to what has been written below. I've only driven it  4 times, including once to Mission Viejo on I-5 from Carlsbad. So far it has only struggled to find the right driveway into our parking garage. The driveways are adjacent, and it has tried twice to take the first one, which is wrong. Once I take over, it parks itself by backing into our assigned space.
It successfully merged from Vista Way EB to I-5 NB on the first attempt, but I didn't think it was going to be able to get over. That is a move we don't do because of the need to merge quickly across a lane of traffic merging from I-5 south to 78 EB. The next time, it took surface streets that led to an easier merge. It learns!
It also missed a right turn to take the best way to a Tesla Supercharger station by waiting too long to merge from the center of three lanes, so just continued to the next right turn. Again, I think if we were approaching that turn again, it would merge into the right lane earlier.
I haven't driven at night yet, but I think it would see a dark colored E-bike rider without lights, but I'm going to be more vigilant than ever to take over just in case. 

Pete Penseyres
League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructor #2020




John Eldon

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Apr 8, 2026, 7:52:28 PMApr 8
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FSD supervised is a very solid concept, albeit oversold/overhyped, but I think riding in a Waymo with no option for driver intervention would be terrifying. 

John 

Scott Mace

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Apr 9, 2026, 12:21:59 AMApr 9
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Where are the self-driving school buses? Just asking.

Scott

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