San Jose Police Seek Suspect In Deadly Hit-And-Run Caught On Camera
SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) -- Police in San Jose on Friday were looking for a truck driver who struck and killed a bicyclist on his way to work on Old Bayshore Road Thursday morning.
"I would give anything to see him one more time just to let him know we all care for him," said Shaina Zimmerman, who identified the victim as 71-year-old Florencio Gavia.
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She says Gavia was less than two blocks away from the machine shop where they worked together when he was run over by the truck exiting Highway 880.
"It kind of breaks my heart. Again, to die alone is probably one of the worst things. But in my heart, I hope his death was instant for him so he didn't have to suffer through all of that stuff," Zimmerman said.
Security camera video from a business near the intersection captured the deadly crash.
It showed Gavia and the truck driver pause briefly before entering the intersection at the same time. Gavia and his bicycle can be seen dragged under and behind the truck before coming to a stop in the bike lane.
San Jose Police describe the truck as a large, white commercial vehicle, possibly a sewage truck. Gavia was the 49th person to die in a San Jose vehicle accident so far this year.
"People can make decisions. Like the decision not to use their cell phone when driving. Like the decision to pay more attention to the road. The decision to slow down and not be in such a hurry. The decision to anticipate other people using the street," said Colin Heyne, a spokesperson for the San Jose Department of Transportation.