Update, May 5: Police believe the cyclist who struck a pedestrian waiting at a stoplight Saturday was “altered” in some way, but no further information has been released. Berkeley Police spokesman Officer Byron White said the cyclist remains in the ICU at Highland Hospital and his condition has not changed. The woman he hit has been transferred out of Highland, but no additional detail was available Tuesday.
Update, May 4, 12:50 p.m. BPD said the pedestrian, who is still in the ICU at Highland Hospital with a head injury, is improving and will likely be transferred to the care of her primary care physician. The cyclist remains in the Highland ICU and his condition has not changed, said BPD.
Update, May 3, 1:20 p.m. On Sunday, BPD said both the cyclist and pedestrian were in the ICU at Highland Hospital. BPD identified the cyclist as a 55-year-old Berkeley man. The pedestrian was a 60-year-old woman from Berkeley.
One reader said he saw the cyclist riding near the Rose Garden on Saturday morning: “He was barreling downhill, way too fast for safety, and ‘singing’ loudly. He … wore big, baggy beige shorts. His bike had a straight handlebar, and his hands were gripping the hand rests. His hair was dark and he may have been helmet-less. I think he had dark, short facial hair. My impression was he must have mental issues.”
Original story, May 2: A cyclist and pedestrian sustained serious injuries after the cyclist struck the pedestrian in Northside Berkeley on Saturday evening, authorities report.
Both parties were taken to Highland Hospital, the regional trauma center, for treatment, said Lt. Spencer Fomby, Berkeley Police Department watch commander.
The crash took place just before 5 p.m. at Euclid and Hearst avenues, Fomby said. The cyclist was heading down the steep hill on Euclid, onto the UC Berkeley campus, and struck a pedestrian on the sidewalk.
One eyewitness to the crash — whose description was shared with Berkeleyside — said the cyclist, who was not wearing a helmet, “zoomed past me and my husband on our bikes going way too fast and raising his hands with exhilaration.”
The man ran the red light at Euclid and Hearst, the witness said, and hit a middle-aged woman waiting at the light: “Both were knocked out terribly with blood everywhere. Police/fire came quickly. Lots of witnesses stayed despite the horrific scene.”
Another witness who saw the cyclist described him to Berkeleyside as “barreling down Euclid, hands free, and shouting woooooo like he was on a roller coaster. Several cars almost hit him and people stopped as he flew downhill. He stopped for nothing.”
According to police radio traffic reviewed by Berkeleyside, one of the people who was injured had major trauma and was unconscious when the Berkeley Fire Department arrived. BPD could not say, as of publication time, whether that was the cyclist or the pedestrian.
Fomby said the department’s Fatal Accident Investigation Team — which handles serious crashes as well as fatal ones — was dispatched to the scene.
Fomby said an officer would also be going to Highland to check on the conditions of both patients.
At 7 p.m. police asked people to avoid the area of the crash due to the ongoing investigation. The roadway was clear as of about 8:30 p.m.
Berkeleyside will update this story when more information is available.
This story was updated after publication due to the developing nature of events.