San Jose: Bicyclist dies from injuries in June hit and run

SAN JOSE — A bicyclist has died from injuries she suffered last month when a driver hit and seriously injured her then fled the scene, police said, adding another tragedy to what has become one of the deadliest stretches of road in the city.

The latest case unfolded June 3 when, just two minutes before midnight, San Jose police were called to Monterey Road and Curtner Avenue for a report of a “major injury” hit-and-run collision between a vehicle and a woman riding a bicycle.

An investigation determined that the bicyclist was riding eastbound across Monterey Road when a still-unidentified driver heading north hit her and then sped away. Police said the rider was initially stabilized at a local hospital, then transferred to a care facility, but died July 8.

The driver is being sought by police.

Officials have not released the victim’s name publicly pending her formal identification and notification of her next of kin by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office.

This collision marked the third consecutive hit-and-run death reported by San Jose police in the past week. On Friday and Saturday, pedestrians were hit and killed by drivers who fled the scene, according to investigators.

Overall, the city has recorded 26 roadways deaths this year; San Jose had tallied 38 by the same point in 2022, which marked a record year for traffic deaths.

The location where the most recent death occurred has also gained notoriety in recent years as the epicenter of several fatal traffic collisions, often hit-and-run cases, that prompted city officials to commission the installation of license-plate readers at the intersection of Monterey Road and Curtner Avenue.

Anyone with information for traffic investigators can contact Detective Tori Dellicarpini at 408-277-4654 or by email at 4103@sanjoseca.gov. Tips can also be left with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or at svcrimestoppers.org.