A ride on a Davis greenbelt turned tragic Monday when two cyclists collided on a shared-use path near Community Park, killing an adult rider and leaving a second with minor injuries, according to police. Emergency crews pronounced one bicyclist dead at the scene and treated the other before detectives shut down the stretch of path near W. Covell Boulevard and Catalina Drive to investigate.
Police Response And What They Know So Far
According to CBS Sacramento, Davis police were called out around 2:48 p.m. Monday and found both riders hurt on the path. One rider, an adult, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second rider, described by police as a minor, had only minor injuries and is cooperating with investigators.
Officers said at least one of the bicycles involved was an e-bike. The section of the path was temporarily blocked off while officers documented the scene and gathered evidence.
Where The Collision Happened
The crash took place on a multiuse greenbelt path that feeds into Community Park, a neighborhood recreation area the city lists as having bike-path connections and a pump track. City documents and the park directory highlight the park's bike links in the Covell corridor, and crews kept that section of the path closed while investigators worked the scene.
E-Bikes, Injury Numbers And Safety Concerns
Electric bikes have been linked to a sharp rise in serious crashes nationwide. A JAMA Surgery analysis found roughly a 30-fold increase in estimated e-bike injuries and a 43-fold rise in hospitalizations from 2017 to 2022. At the same time, statewide data show bicycle deaths remain a stubborn public-safety problem. UC Berkeley's SafeTREC reported 177 bicyclist fatalities in California in 2022, underscoring how exposed riders are on urban arterials and shared-use paths.
Those trends have fueled calls from safety advocates for more helmet use, better speed management and more separated infrastructure that can cut down on high-energy collisions.
How To Help Investigators
Anyone who saw the collision or has video from the area is asked to contact the Davis Police Department's non-emergency line at (530) 747-5400 or email [email protected], according to the City of Davis contact page. Officials say the investigation remains active and that more details will be released as they are confirmed.
We will update this story as Davis police and city officials provide more information. Our condolences go out to the family and loved ones of the rider who was killed.
