Saratoga News

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Rider dies when bicycle crashes into an SUV on Saratoga Avenue

By Shannon Burkey

A cyclist died in Saratoga on June 23 after he rear-ended a sport utility vehicle parked on the shoulder of Saratoga Avenue just past Lawrence Expressway.

Neil Oda, a 44-year-old San Jose resident, was pronounced dead at the scene from a neck laceration received when he went through the rear window of the SUV, according to Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department Deputy Kim Morganthayler.

Oda had been riding his bicycle westbound on Saratoga Avenue when the driver of a Toyota Highlander, a man in his 60s, pulled over onto the shoulder to answer his cell phone, partially blocking a designated bicycle lane. Oda's exact speed was unknown but Morganthayler estimated it could have been up to 25 miles an hour when he hit the Toyota from behind, shattering its rear window before going through it.

"It's tragic," Morganthayler said. "The driver was trying to do the right thing by pulling over and answering his phone, and this happened."

A witness to the accident told police that Oda appeared to have plenty of time to stop before hitting the vehicle but only began to veer to the left to avoid hitting it at the very last second.

"The impact was so very severe that we're theorizing the cyclist had his head down and was in full racing form and did not see the vehicle until the last minute," Morganthayler said.

Morganthayler said from the looks of Oda's bicycle and equipment, he was an experienced rider.

"He had all the right gear and a top-of-the-line bicycle," he said. "But no matter how experienced you are, you just really have to watch where you're going."

The driver, whose name has not been released, told police that he noticed a cyclist further back on the road as he was driving, but did not see anyone in the vicinity when he decided to pull over.

Will Soley, a Saratoga resident who lives in the vicinity of the accident, said the crash site was a little disturbing.

"There was blood everywhere, in ways I can't imagine how it got there," he said.

Sheriff's deputies are still investigating the exact cause of the accident and no charges have been filed at this time.