Injured bicyclist dies

Thursday, September 28, 2006 · Last updated 3:04 p.m. PT

By BRAD WONG
P-I REPORTER

The woman bicyclist who crashed into the side of a van in West Seattle Wednesday has died, authorities said.

Susan Gregg-Hanson, a Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman, confirmed the woman's death Thursday morning. She said she was not permitted to say when the woman, who was in her 20s, passed away.

But emergency crews took the bicyclist to Harborview with life-threatening injuries on Wednesday. The woman was last in intensive care and arrived in critical condition.

On Wednesday, Seattle police spokesman Sean Whitcomb said investigators are looking at the possibility that the van's driver, a man in his 50s, "performed an improper left turn."

The woman was heading north on 35th Avenue Southwest about 7:40 a.m. when she crashed into the van, which was turning onto Southwest Graham Street. The woman was wearing a helmet but suffered serious injuries.

"She basically struck the side of the van head-on at a pretty good rate of speed," Whitcomb said.

The King County Medical Examiner had not identified the woman as of early Thursday morning. Seattle police also had not issued any updates about the case early Thursday.

After the accident, police officers closed the northbound lane of 35th Avenue Southwest to conduct their investigation.

The message for motorists from the Wednesday morning accident is to "watch for bikes," according to the Seattle-based Cascade Bicycle Club.

"You can kill someone out there," said David Hiller, the group's advocacy director. "It's nothing that the person driving the van wants on his conscience."

Hiller added that these types of accidents trouble the club. "We're glad they are infrequent as they are, but it makes them no less tragic," he said.

But some Seattle-area residents, including one bicyclist, said in e-mail messages to the Seattle P-I that riders need to be aware of their surroundings to avoid accidents. One writer said bicyclists also can be the cause of accidents.

Brad Wong can be reached at 206-448-8137 or bradwong@seattlepi.com.

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