A 60-year-old man on bicycle died in a hit-and-run accident early Friday morning, San Jose police reported, and they believe the driver struck him twice, reversing over him in order to get away.
The man became the third traffic fatality in the first 15 days of the year, police said.
The accident was reported at 4:51 a.m. on Delmas Avenue at West Santa Clara Street near Highway 87.
Lt. Jason Herr told NBC Bay Area that officers believe the driver first jumped the curb and then "panicked," reversing his white pickup over the bicyclist and taking off southbound on Delmas Avenue. He described the suspect car as a full-size late 1980s or early 1990s white pickup truck with front driver side damage.
Roads in the area that were closed down during the investigation reopened about 10 a.m.
Cyclist Alex Broekhof said the death brings home for him how dangerous it can be out there for those riding bikes in a big city. "I try to be careful," he said. "I try to follow the rules as much as possible. There's a lot of antagonism between cyclists and drivers."
