A female cyclist was killed while riding her bicycle on Saturday afternoon after a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus collided with her in Malibu.
The cyclist was travelling along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu at around 1.50pm when the incident occurred. According to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the bus was driving along the highway near Peurco Canyon Road when it struck the cyclist, knocking her off her bicycle. The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded rapidly to the scene, and pronounced the cyclist dead on arrival.
According to Lieutenant Josh Thai of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department, it is too early to determine who was at fault in the incident. The circumstances surrounding the accident are currently being investigated, and the Malibu/Lost Hills station is still attempting to piece the story together from eye witness reports. Thai has confirmed that the woman who died was a 36 year old family of Latino descent, but a name has not yet been released as her next of kin are yet to be notified of her death.
In a press release, Thai stated that the Metro bus was on duty and travelling along its usual route at the time of the accident. It is unclear whether there were any passengers on the bus at the time of the incident, but the bus driver was unharmed. It is not known whether the cyclist was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
The Southbound Pacific Coast Highway between John Tyler Drive and Puerco Canyon Road was temporarily closed after the accident, leading to traffic backlogs along the highway.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Luis Inzunza responded to the accident saying that he was not certain whether there were passengers on the bus at the time of the incident. Inunza was not certain who was driving the bus at the time of the incident, but the driver has been taken into police custody and will have blood taken for drugs and alcohol as part of the routine investigation into the incident. As of 8.30pm on Saturday evening, Metro had not yet received the results of the driver’s drug and alcohol tests. Inunza has reassured the public that Metro will be conducting their own private investigation into the incident and will respond accordingly.
The cycling community is up in arms about the incident. A new law recently proposed in the state requires motorists to maintain a safe distance between their vehicles and bicycles to prevent such tragic accidents from occurring.