Update, July 2: The man who died has been identified as Sebastian Rodrigues, 24, of Berkeley. The official cause of death has not been determined but, according to the coroner’s office, Rodrigues was on life support after the crash. He died Friday at 4:11 p.m.
Berkeley Police Lt. Kevin Schofield said it appears, from the preliminary investigation, that the driver was at fault for the collision. BPD’s Fatal Accident Investigation Team is handling the investigation. Schofield said authorities have not yet determined whether charges will be filed.
Original story, June 30: The 24-year-old cyclist who was struck by a driver in North Berkeley one week ago has died at Highland Hospital, authorities report.
A reader told Berkeleyside on Saturday that the man, who had just graduated from UC Berkeley in May, “passed away last night due to a traumatic brain injury.” She described him as “a lovely young man who I taught many years ago. He was truly loved by all. This is such a tragedy.”
The Berkeley Police Department confirmed Sunday that it had been told, by the Alameda County coroner’s office, that the man had died at Highland. The man’s time of death was not immediately available.
On Sunday, the coroner’s office said it could not release the man’s name or other information.
According to BPD, the crash took place June 23 at Shattuck Avenue and Cedar Street at about 11:35 p.m. The cyclist was riding west on Cedar when a driver, who was heading east, struck him while making a left onto Shattuck to go north. The driver, a 31-year-old Berkeley man, remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation. BPD had said previously that the cyclist was in stable condition and appeared likely to survive.
Berkeleyside has attempted to reach the cyclist’s family for comment.
According to a Berkeleyside tally based on preliminary BPD data, there have been nearly 40 injury collisions in the city in 2019, through May, that involved cyclists. (As the department has explained before, it tracks cyclist crashes that involve fixed objects or the roadway as well as those involving vehicles.)
