A woman riding her bicycle in South Berkeley was trapped beneath a car and sustained critical injuries when a driver struck her Wednesday afternoon.
Scroll to the bottom of this story for an update
The collision took place just after 1:10 p.m. near Sacramento Market, on northbound Sacramento Street just north of Ashby Avenue. Numerous people called BPD to say a bicyclist was pinned underneath a silver Lexus 470 sedan, authorities said.
The Berkeley Fire Department rushed the woman, who was not breathing and had no pulse, to Highland Hospital in an effort to save her life.
The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation, which is ongoing, BPD said.
Northbound lanes of Sacramento Street are blocked at this time.
The city of Berkeley has already had eight traffic fatalities this year. The California Highway Patrol will handle the investigation because the city’s traffic enforcement resources are currently stretched so thin, BPD said.
This is horrific. My prayers go out to the victim and her family. I hope she pulls through. Let’s work together to pass an omnibus bond to implement safer streets throughout the community. https://t.co/1m3l2gc402
— Ben Bartlett (@benbartlettberk) November 24, 2021
My prayers go out to the victim. Enough is enough. I will be aggressively pushing for better traffic safety in our city. Berkeley has one of the highest bicyclist commute rates in the country. It’s time for our infrastructure to reflect that. https://t.co/gtinEDMsus
— Jesse Arreguin #GetVaccinated (@JesseArreguin) November 24, 2021
At 2:20 p.m., police advised community members in a Nixle alert to avoid the area: “A vehicle crash near Sacramento and Ashby has closed the intersection and will require a detour of traffic for the next several hours.”
Update, 3:21 p.m. Police said in a Nixle alert that the roadway is now open, adding, “Please drive safely.”
Update, 4:20 p.m. Police told Berkeleyside “the bicyclist sustained significant injuries” but is expected to survive. Further details were not immediately available.
Featured photo: Emilie Raguso
