A woman has died after a pair of bicyclists collided on a bike path in the Northern California city of Davis on Monday, officials said.
The Davis Police Department said officers responded around 2:48 p.m. to the collision, which happened in the area of Community Park at West Covell Boulevard and Catalina Drive.
When they arrived, officers and fire crews found both riders — one woman and one minor — injured. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The second bicyclist sustained minor injuries and is cooperating with investigators, police said.
The Yolo County Coroner’s Office has identified the woman who died as 60-year-old Davis resident Julie Veress.
In a statement, Sutter Health confirmed that Veress was an employee.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of a valued member of our team following a tragic incident in the Davis community. She was an important part of our community, and this loss is deeply felt by those who had the privilege of working alongside her,” a representative from Sutter Health stated. “Our thoughts are with her family, loved ones and colleagues during this difficult time.”
Davis police noted that at least one of the bicyclists was riding an e-bike.
Police said the collision forced a temporary closure of the bike path until law enforcement officials clear the scene. Police said the exact cause of the collision remains under investigation.
We turned to Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA) for insights into how electric bikes affect cyclists and the road.
“So you have people on analog bikes, and e-bikes, and scooters, and then hopefully people that are pedestrians, and they’re up on the sidewalk. You have all these people moving at really different speeds, sharing a very, very tiny, narrow space of the road,” SABA executive director Deborah Banks. “It is inevitable that there will be altercations.”
The specifics of the e-bike involved in this deadly Davis collision have not been shared by police yet, but under California vehicle code, an e-bike is still a bike, meaning riders get most of the same rights and have most of the same responsibilities.
There are a few extra rules, like age restrictions on some models, where riders must be at least 16 years old.
“Education is super important — people understanding the rules of the road, how to ride an e-bike,” Banks said. “E-bikes are not like analog bikes. They have different braking power and balance issues for people because they’re a lot heavier. There’s a lot of things that make an e-bike a slightly different beast than a regular bike.”
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