Injured bicyclist, 76, dies a month after vehicle hits him in bike lane

SAN JOSE >> A 76-year- old man has died from injuries he suffered a month ago in a collision where a driver swerved into a bike lane while trying to pass another vehicle on Blossom Hill Road, according to San Jose police.

The bicyclist, who police said died Tuesday, has not been formally identified by the Santa Clara County Medical ExaminerCoroner’s Office. His death marks the city’s 41st traffic death of the year — and the fourth in as many days — and he was the fifth bicyclist killed on a city roadway in 2020.

The collision was reported at 3:14 p.m. on Sept. 4 in the westbound lanes of Blossom Hill Road near the northbound Highway 101 on-ramp. The preliminary investigation said a woman was driving west in a white 2013 Mazda CX-7 approaching Coyote Road when she tried to move around a vehicle to get to the freeway.

“The driver of the vehicle traveled into the bike lane and struck a 76-year- old male, who was riding his bicycle in the bike lane,” police stated in a news release.

The bicyclist was taken to a local hospital, where he died at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. The Mazda driver stopped at the scene and has not been arrested or cited. Police stated that an investigation is ongoing, after which traffic detectives will present their findings to county prosecutors, who will evaluate the case and determine if criminal charges will be filed.

Anyone with information about the Sept. 4 collision can contact traffic Detective Eliseo Malvido at 408277- 4654.