A memorial to a teen killed on a bicycle in Cupertino was overflowing on Tuesday with flowers, candles and a sign that read, "Once a matador, always a matador."
Still, the teen's name had not been formally released by the Santa Clara County Coroner on Tuesday, who said the boy had not yet been positively identified. The Mercury News reported that the boy was a 15-year-old at Monta Vista High School, after speaking with Councilman Barry Chang.
"We are, of course, devastated by this tragic accident," Fremont Union High School District President Bill Wilson said Tuesday. "We are trying to do what we can do to support the family and fellow students."
Without identifying the boy, district spokeswoman Sue Larson said that grief and counseling services "have been expanded to provide comfort, support, and assistance to Monta Vista High School students and staff members."
The teen was struck and killed by a dump truck bearing the logo Moonlight Express of Tracy on Monday about 8 a.m. on Bubb and McClellan roads. Santa Clara County Sheriff Sgt. Kurtis Stenderup said the driver didn't immediately know he had hit the boy, and ended up stopping a short time later after witnesses told him what he had done. There has been no announcement of any arrest, and Stenderup said the driver had cooperated. According to the city of Cupertino, McClellan Road is not a designated truck route. However, city officials said in an email, "there are exceptions within the code and specifics of this case are still under investigation."
No one from the trucking company answered the phone on Monday when NBC Bay Area called for comment.
As an unfortunate coincidence, the Governors Highway Safety Association released on Monday a report showing that the number of bicyclists killed on U.S. roadways is "trending upward," and California is among six states that represent 54 percent of all fatalities.
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A deputy told NBC Bay Area the boy had been wearing a helmet.
Cupertino activist Rich Williams, 44, said that he's been harping on this topic for years - trying to get more traffic enforcement in the city of 60,000. "This is tragic," he said, "but not surprising."
He ticked off what he'd like to see more of in the city: Crosswalks, LED lights, traffic circles. "There are so many kids on bikes here," he said. "But this city is so pedestrian unfriendly."
