Woman Cyclist Dies In Fatal San Jose Collision
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- A woman cyclist riding through a South Bay neighborhood Monday morning died after being struck by a pick-up truck in a tragic accident.
The accident happened at around 8 a.m. near the intersection of Chynoweth Avenue and Duesenberg Drive in San Jose.
The area is near a park and is popular with cyclists.
Police said the driver of the full-size pickup got out and tried to revive the bike rider with CPR, but she died at the scene.
The driver was not arrested.
"It does not appear speed was a factor at this point. It just appears to be a tragic accident," said San Jose Police Sgt. Todd Lonac.
It was the fourth fatal bicycle accident in San Jose this year, doubling last year's total of two.
Colin Heyne with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition says San Jose was designed for the car with its wide, multi-lane high-speed streets.
"As we see more and more people riding bikes for transportation, we do see an uptick in fatalities," explained Heyne.
He says the city has been working to reduce bicycle fatalities and collisions by adding bike lanes with more separation from traffic, but that the biggest change needs to be a cultural one.
"People have get used to riding their bikes safely, following the rules of the road," said Hayne. "Drivers have to get used to operating their vehicles next to bicyclists on the road."
Police said very little about what may have led to Monday morning's fatal accident. Authorities did say that in previous incidents in San Jose that have been fatal to the bicyclist, it was usually the cyclist that was at fault in those accidents for either riding on the wrong side of the road or on the sidewalk..
