Nov. 02--The police officer who was first at the scene where a 20-year-old bicyclist had been struck by a driver said to have been drunk testified Thursday about trying to find a pulse on the man, who was lying in a gutter beside the road.
"He was still sweating from the ride. I thought I had a pulse, but he was gone," said Jarrod Wilfert, a former Ventura Police Department officer who is now an attorney in Camarillo.
Wilfert said Nicholas "Nick" Haverland, who died at the scene, was in a crumpled position when he first saw him.
Wilfert testified at the trial of Satnam Singh, who is charged with murder in the death of Haverland. The Ventura College student was hit and killed while bicycling near Telegraph Road and Mara Avenue in Ventura on May 11, 2011.
Prosecutor Richard Simon said Singh, 50, left the scene of the accident and was later arrested at his home in Ventura. Simon told jurors Singh had a blood-alcohol level of 0.39 percent, nearly five times the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
Jurors saw the Haverland's autopsy photographs for the first time Thursday shortly after Haverland's parents left the courtroom.
Relatives and friends of Haverland's and Singh's were in the courtroom, seated on opposite sides of the aisle.
Haverland was riding beside friend Henry Geerlings in the bike lane when the crash occurred.
Geerlings testified Thursday that the two left his house at 5:45 p.m. that day and were going to Ventura College to take a final exam on Western religion. In a "fraction of a second," a Hummer drifted into the bike lane and struck Haverland, who was closer to the roadway.
"I saw the collision. I froze a bit and rode up to him," Geerlings testified. "Eventually, I just saw the end result."
Geerlings said he didn't see any brake lights on the Hummer and that it left "going fast."
Under cross-examination by Singh's lawyer, David Lehr, Geerlings testified about the time of day the accident happened.
"It was still fairly light out when it occurred," Geerlings said, and described the clothing that Haverland and he were wearing.
Witnesses testified they saw the Hummer speeding away after being involved in three crashes that injured people.
Ana Gil testified the Hummer was traveling fast and that she had to make a quick turn in her vehicle to avoid getting hit from behind. Later, she returned to the crime scene to talk to police and saw the body.
"This young man was covered up in a white sheet," said Gil, adding that a woman was there, too. "I assumed it was the mother that was crying pretty loudly."
Copyright 2012 - Ventura County Star, Calif.
