A bicycle rider apparently heading into a southwest Santa Rosa intersection against the light crashed Tuesday morning while avoiding a car, Santa Rosa police reported.
"The bicycle (rider) appeared to have abruptly stopped to avoid a collision and (went) over his front handlebars," Santa Rosa Sgt. Rich Celli said.
The 39-year-old Santa Rosa man, who wasn't wearing a helmet, hit the ground, Celli said. The man was taken by ambulance to a hospital.
Witnesses told police the rider started his turn after the light had changed against him. The car, which had started into the intersection, stopped as the rider approached.
"So he (the bicyclist) wouldn't hit the driver head on, he pressed on his front brake, which caused him to flip over and land on the ground," said Vicente Mota, who saw the incident.
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