Crime & Safety

Man Injured In Fairfield Bike Race Crash Dies

The 65-year-old cyclist was wearing a helmet when he crashed, but police say he was going fast enough that the helmet didn't save him.

A former state government employee who was injured in a crash during a bicycle race in Fairfield on Saturday died Sunday at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.

The Solano County coroner's office identified him as 65-year-old Robb Deignan, of Sacramento. The coroner's office is conducting an autopsy today at the request of Fairfield police, Deputy Jackson Harris said.

Fairfield police said Deignan was participating in the annual 100-mile Foxy's Fall Century bike race through Napa and Solano counties Saturday.

Find out what's happening in Suisun Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He was descending Hilborn Road around 10:30 a.m. when he lost control of his bike and went down just before the Solano Foothills Boulevard intersection, police said.

Deignan was wearing a helmet but suffered serious head wounds because of his speed, police said.

Find out what's happening in Suisun Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He died at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Harris said.

Deignan was public affairs director for the California Department of General Services between 2000 and 2004, the department's current public affairs director Ken Hunt said.

"He was always focused on doing the right thing, even when people were not looking. He was the epitome of integrity, honesty and accuracy," Hunt said.

He had 15 years of experience in media relations and website development for the state Senate Democratic Caucus, and worked for 15 years as a radio and television reporter and anchor for KTXL-TV in Sacramento, according to his LinkedIn page.

He also was press secretary for former state Sen. John Garamendi in 1989. He most recently worked as a media consultant for the state Senaten between 2006 and 2009.

He described himself on LinkedIn as "semi-retired and hanging out with my dog 'Buddy' and cycling junkies until the economy turns around."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Suisun City