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The Palo Alto Police Department has referred to the Santa Clara County District Attorney the results of its investigation into the Feb. 19 fatal crash in which two drivers struck a bicyclist on Embarcadero Road, the department said in a news release.
The fatal collision occurred at about 9 p.m., when 28-year-old Sarah Muller was bicycling east on Embarcadero and reportedly stopped in the left lane near Newell Road, according to the police. Investigators believe she was waiting for a green arrow so that she could turn on Newell when an eastbound driver in a Honda Accord struck her from behind, knocking her into the intersection.
Police had initially reported that two other drivers subsequently struck Muller while she was in the intersection. Further investigation, including review of dashcam footage, indicated that one of the cars swerved around her while the other had struck her in the intersection.
The driver who had initially hit Muller remained on scene and cooperated with the officers, police said. The driver who hit her in the intersection contacted the police after seeing news reports about the fatal crash. The driver, a male in his 20s who was driving a Hyundai Sonata, told the police that he had struck something in the roadway but had no idea it was a person, police said.
Police said that neither drugs nor alcohol appear to have been a factor in the initial collision. There is no evidence to suggest they have a factor in the second collision either.
The department is sending the case to the District Attorney’s office for review for any appropriate criminal charges against either of the drivers who struck Muller, according to the news release.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the department’s 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413 or send an anonymous tip to paloalto@tipnow.org or (650) 383-8984.
