Redwood City Mourns 14-Year-Old Girl Killed While Riding Bike To School
REDWOOD CITY (KCBS) — Police in Redwood City are continuing to investigate a fatal crash that killed a 14-year-old girl who was bicycling to school Monday, as a memorial to the teen grows.
Stuffed animals, lit candles, and bouquets of flowers have been placed at the scene of the accident at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Alameda de las Pulgas, where Leyla Beban was killed.
"It's one of those accidents where you scratch your head and wonder why did this happen?" said Sgt. Ashley Osborn of the Redwood City Police.
KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:
According to police, Beban was on her way to school on her bike when she was hit by an SUV when they both made right turns around 8:30 a.m. Beban was knocked down and went under the pickup, according to Osborn. Beban was taken to Stanford Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.
Beban was a freshman at Woodside High School. Principal Diane Burbank said Tuesday morning that one of Leyla's teachers described the teen as "open-minded, intellectually curious, considerate and competent yet humble."
Freshman Class President Bianca Gabriel led the school in a moment of silence in Leyla's honor, Burbank said. Grief counselors were on hand to help students cope with the loss.
"There's no indication that speed was a factor or that any vehicle code infractions were a factor in this collision," Sgt. Osborn said. Police said the driver of the SUV stopped at the scene and was cooperative.
The accident hit close to home for cyclist and area resident Chris O'Grady.
"I have a 12-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter who both bicycle to school a few blocks from here. So it'll definitely make me think and I'll probably talk to them about the accident," he said.
Police took additional measurements of the accident scene on Tuesday and expect to wrap up their investigation by the end of the week.
Anyone who witnessed the collision has been asked to call Officer Peter Cang at (650) 780-7100 ext. 5021 or Detective Dave Cirina at (650) 780-7607.
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