Not to excuse a drunk driver, just wondering if the bicycle had lights.

He ought to get more serious charges since it was an F350. 

I’m deeply sadden to hear what has happened to our friend Alton. I’ll keep his Family in my thoughts and prayers.

Alton was one of those guys who you loved to ride with. He could strike up a friendly conversation with anyone. Alton is now resting in sleep.

Alton Saceaux a good man.

Talking with my brother the incident time of 10:43 p.m. doesn't sound right. Close friends of Alton said he never rides this late. His full-time job also requires him to get up real earlier and it doesn't add up that he would be out riding this late.

Can you please confirm if this was time of incident or time of death? I can't help to think this happened much earlier than 10:43 p.m.

BakersfieldNow.com reports the incident to be around 8:40. Closer to the time bk9360 posted. 

I agree with Joel. My thoughts and prayers are with Alton's family. I've known Alton for 30 years and he's one of the greatest people I've ever met. A true friend and a great family man. vaya con dios, Alton.

Chris Nielsen

I happen to live down the street from where Alton was hit.  I arrived home just after 9pm and ambulance/fire/CHP were already on scene.  By our best estimations, the accident must have happened  around 8 or 830.  Maybe even closer to 7:00 hour.

I use to live two houses down from Mr. Saceaux and was good friends with his son all the way through high school.  We've lost touch along the way, but I will never forget how Alton knew literally everybody and always had a smile on.  I remember going to the mall one time with Cory and Alton.  It took us 2 hours to go 20 feet because Alton knew so many people and would get excited about seeing each and every one them, knowing them all by name and details of their life.  Truly an amazing quality to have.  He will surely be missed.

Joel and BK,

  You're right. It was 8:43 p.m. I'll have to go back and check my third grade subtraction again to get these things right.

I updated the correct time in this blog.

Steve Swenson

What a horrible Tragedy... another life taken by some drunk loser on the streets.  Society as a whole is impacted double, as we lose what sounds like a wonderful person and pay the burden of prosecuting and warehousing the idiot who killed him.  If these drunk drivers would only have the decency to get themselves killed we'd all be better off.

This is a horrible tragedy.  We have lost a wonderful man.  Alton was one of the most generous and caring individuals I have ever had the opportunity to know, and I have known him practically my entire life.  Grew up right next door to his family, and they have always been a second family to me.

Alice, Trina (and Robert), Cory, Andre - I love you all very much, and am here if you need anything, just as you and Alton were always here for me.

A lesson to truely be learned here - drunk driving never pays, and can in an instant rip wonderful peoples lives apart.

~Sarah Forbus

This is absolutely terrible news. I was on the crew with Alton in Race Across America in '95, '96, '97. He had so much energy and was fun to be around. He was the navigator and I was the driver as we followed the racers across the US. We had to keep ourselves awake so we sang songs and jokes. Even when he was so tired he gave it 100%. It is so true about him knowing alot of people and stopping to talk with them. He was even making friend with strangers in every state we passed through during the race. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family.

Really sad to hear this news. All the stories about Alton being a great guy are right on the money. He had an infectious smile and energy about him of which I would to liked to have half of. He always seemed genuinely happy to see you each and every time, whether it had been a week or two years. Proud to say I knew him. God bless his family.

I was very sorry to hear about Mr. Saceaux.   BUT, bicyclists are road hogs.  They should have to ride against traffic, like you did as a kid.    They pull out in front of traffic because they feel they always have the right of way.   

Dang it, Abby.  You have no heart.  No heart at all. 

Maybelline - my daddy was ran over by a drunken bicyclist.  So I know the heart break

 They should have to ride against traffic, like you did as a kid.    They pull out in front of traffic because they feel they always have the right of way.   

Mr. Saceaux was supposed to break the law because you think bikers hog the road?  The dude was killed by a drunk driver.  He was doing the right thing.  The driver (allegedly) was not.

Abby.... If your daddy hadn't of been in the way maybe he wouldn't have gotten HIT!!   Right?       isn't that pretty much what your saying about the man that was killed?  Even if he was hogging the road he didn't deserve  a death sentence for it! 

Alton was special man and those who knew him you know what i mean.  I will miss our weekly talks about NASCAR how much of a fan he was becoming.  May god bless his faimly during this dark time.  Alton you where one of a kind i will miss you very much.

Christy

Alton lived next door to my wife while she was growing up.  She played with his kids.  His daughter babysat her and my brothers-in-law.  He was like family to them.

I met him about a year ago when he was back in the neighborhood considering purchasing his old house for his son.  I'm sorry to see such a tragedy, and as stated in another thread, my wife's family, the Bañales', give their deepest sympathies.

Alton was a very special person to those who knew him.  He made a difference everywhere he went.  He always encouraged people and always made them smile.  My thoughts and prayers are with Altons family. I'm very glad to have met Alton at work.  He will be missed.   God Bless his family.

i have had the chance to work on Alton's bike personally to Snider's. During that time i had the chance to speak with him for a while. thought that i found a new friend in our cycling community. i only got the chance to ride ride with him a few times on the bike path.  you people need to think before you write something down drinking and driving is against the law! i was it by a drunk driver and badly injuried about eight months ago and the man that hit me only received two years jail time. out of the two year he will probly only serve seven to eight months of that. 

Seems as though most posting on here knew him. Is this the gentleman who worked for Mothers Cookies back in the mid 90's? Regardless, Condolences to his family.

 Alton was a man of many words.  He would just spread all his energy and enthusiasm everywhere he went.  I have know him for over 21 years.  We lived in the same neighborhood and worked in the grocery business. He was always making us laugh with his jokes.  But the thing I liked most about Alton was his true wisdom.  What ever he spoke about, he did it with such passion.  My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and kids.  We really lost a great one!   May god bless his family and friends.  An everyone be safe.

Does anyone know if this is the gentleman that lived on Elysium St., off Pacheco?

I've known Alton for 20 years and he was a truly great guy. He will definitely be missed.

Does anyone know if this is the gentleman that lived on Elysium St., off Pacheco?

Yes.  My wife and her family were his neighbors, and she and I still live in this house.  Alton stopped by last year to visit (when my in-laws still lived here) because he was considering buying back the house they used to live in.

A small video was created from photos my brother had of Alton. 

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

He was the most positive guy I’ve ever met, I will miss him a lot, Not a lot of individuals that have impacted so many by his kind cheerful personality. He loved cycling and People, an enormous loss for all. My years on earth cant find such a dynamic individual; He had many that felt the same way.

Audio Message from Alton,   I hadnt talkd to him for a few weeks and  this is what he left on my phone  http://tinyurl.com/qmdnsx  He made all feel special

@ joelprice

Thanks for the video. I posted it to Alton's website on the gallery page:

Alton's website  www.trainsimplept.com/index.html

Gallery Page:  www.trainsimplept.com/Gallery/index.html

Please let me know who the video should be attributed to so I can give proper attribution on the website.

There are other photos of Alton in the gallery as well.

Chris Nielsen

I too loved Alton Sacaeux and spent some incredible times with him during Race Across America. Alton was a man who always had a smile for you and something uplifting to say. He was a man you could always COUNT ON and he had the moral character rarely found in these times.

Regarding Mr. Kaiser, he failed to pay attention to a nationwide campaign that has occurred in this country for several decades, that being the desire to end Drunk-Driving in the United States. In the 60's and 70's it wasn't unheard of to be caught drunk and then driven home by the county sheriff or police, but the education began some thirty years ago via television and a wide variety of print media that law enforcement was going to crack down on drunk driving, therefore don't do it!

I dare ask, how many generations are we going to have that continue to believe drinking and then getting behind the wheel is okay? In my humble opinion, drunk-driving and killing someone is tantamount to a minimum of second-degree murder and should be punished  by receiving a minimum penalty of 25 years to life in prison, first offenders included.

Please everyone, when you see a cyclist just simply drive on by. You don't need to yell, honk, throw anything, swerve towards us........just simply drive on by. Remember, we also pay the exact same taxes as anyone else regarding road and highway maintenance.

Alton, we love you! Ride-on with Norm.....

Arin D. Resnicke

Golden Empire Race Management

Please note there will be a memorial ride for Alton Saceaux, tomorrow, Thursday July 2, beginning from Bike Bakersfield at Chester Avenue and 17th Street at 6:30 p.m. and going south on Chester to Union, then south to the scene of the murder. Please join us, whether you are on a bicycle, motorcycle, automobile....and celebrate Alton's life.

My heart goes out to both the Kaiser and Saceaux families, as both have been affected by this terrible tragedy.

To those who label Mr. Kaiser as a "monster", please get your facts straight first. You can't believe everything the media tells you. I was very angered by Mr. Swenson's article.

Where the accident took place is somewhat of a rural area. Mr. Kaiser did not have a cell phone, so he drove to get help and returned to the scene. He is not some "low life" who did not want to take responsibility for his actions. I do not consider that a "hit and run".

Mr. Kaiser had beer earlier in the day. He may not have even been over the legal limit. The toxicology results will be available in two weeks. Remember, the appropriate word is "suspected". This has not been proven. I love how the media has basically made him guilty until proven innocent.

May I remind you of the driving conditions? It was dark, and the man was on a bicycle. I have nearly hit two bicyclists in broad daylight, completely sober. It is a very scary thing. They can literally come out of nowhere due to blind spots. For this reason, I do not let my husband ride a bike outside our neighborhood.

Accidents happen on a daily basis. It is tragic that a man lost his life in this accident. But please don't be quick to judge people you don't know, you don't know the whole story. This could be your brother, father, or grandpa who has to deal with this the rest of his life. Until you know the facts, keep your viscious comments to yourself.

Oh and to your post, BakoBikerArin, you make it sound as if he went out of his way to hit him. You are sick and ridiculous.

I have known Alton since 1985 he was a wonderful person full of life; a friend to all who knew him. He will be missed; my thoughts and prays are with his family and friends.

This is Eddie, Norma, Mark (11) and Mandy (15) Alvarado.

What devastating news!

We lived next to the Saceauxs in the mid 90's on Ellisan.  Alton always had an upbeat attitude, tons of energy and of course that super huge smile.  

He was always ready to help me (Eddie) with house projects and was very good at it.  I remember  a lot of different projects he use to have going at his own house.  He was always working on something.   

Alton had a zest for life that's hard to find.  We will definitely miss seeing him around town and catching up on how our respective lives are going.   

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Family Alice, Trina, Cory and Andre.

Take Care and God Bless.

FSG, Thanks for responding to my question, although when I see todays paper I already knew. We also lived on Elysium until about 31/2 years ago. We moved into our house in 1987. Can't say I knew him very well, just neighborly stuff. He and my Husband spoke often though. My Husband was a pepsi delivery man therefore saw Alton often in stores. He would stop by and talk with the children even. Friendly, sweet man! God Bless He and His family.

Why Does everyone TALK snap! ABOUT A DRUNK  ;DRIVER when i know just as much as you that everyone has drove drunk so dont talk snap! about people it was a accident yea it may be hard on the family of the person who has lost there life i hope all is well for the family...but just think all you do is talk bad about the driver STOP doing that cause it hurts them to hear about this so please stop talking crap it is useless everyone makes mistakes and hopefully both familys will learn from this one.....thats all i got to say stop wasting your time

its sad to hear of his death. but i would like to put out there that i have seen him going down wible and the 223 highway sometimes an i did notice that he did not ride his bike on the shoulder but actually ride his bike in the lane. you can even notice this in the pictureof the article he is on the inside of the line. so if he really was a safe rider i think he would stay off highways and ride at least on the shoulder.

That is enough room for a car to move out of the way.  He is not "owning" the road in that picture.

He didn't "deserve" to be hit.

i wasnt saying that he deserved it. i work for a farm an usually the equipment we drive is alot wider than one lane. so really it wouldnt have hurt him to ride on the shoulder. one time i was driving one of the tractors and there was a bicyclelist in the road and i had to slow down for them to get out of the way.

"some drunk loser on the streets" is highly inappropriate and should not be posted here. My family happens to be very great friends of Mr. Kaiser and his family. He is a wonderful, decent man. A true joy to be around!  The situation is truly sad for both sides. It makes me shake my head in shame when I read comments over the internet such as "It is so unfair that he gets to go on with his life like nothing ever happend" this is FAR from true. He has to live with the feeling of devestation that even by accident, caused a man to die. So please, before anyone goes throwing around statements such as "some drunk loser on the streets"  think of the hurt him and his family may be going through during this time. You all just belive what the media feeds you, when really there is a genuine, kind hearted person behind it all who was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Praying for both families during this time.

Behind the wheel after a few drinks.

Yup!  I'd say that was the wrong place at the wrong time!