Cyclist dies in hit-and-run in Everett

Police in Everett, Washington, are looking for the driver of a car that struck and killed a cyclist, then drove away, Monday night. (UPDATE: The man, accompanied by his lawyer, turned himself into police on Tuesday afternoon; police didn't arrest him as he wasn't considered a flight risk, AP reported.)

Witnesses told police that the bicyclist was riding on a “narrow pedestrian pathway” on the 112th Street overpass of Interstate 5 when he fell into the path of an oncoming car, according to the KIRO-TV website.

Lt. Ted Olafson told reporters: “The driver of the car got off the overpass, got out of his vehicle, went back to look at the scene and then left the scene westbound.”

The cyclist died on the way to the hospital.

Police are looking for the car, possibly a blue Chevrolet Lumina, with damage to the right headlight. The driver is described as about 6-foot-4, heavy build, with a mustache.

Six months ago I would have been surprised about the hit-and-run aspect of this case, but no longer. The GhostCycle project, which placed more than 40 bicycles around Seattle to mark car-bike accidents, found that 1 in 5 bicycle accidents involving a motor vehicle were hit and run.

Two other hit-and-run collisions involving cyclists made the news yesterday:

In Kenosha, Wisc., a man surrendered to police Monday in connection to a hit-and-run accident on Saturday that killed a 10-year-old cyclist who was riding on a county road near his home. The man had hid his burgundy pickup truck after the accident. Police said the man, who is facing felony hit-and-run charges, is in considerably worse trouble than if he would have contacted officials immediately.