Cupertino is mourning the tragic loss of a Monta Vista High School student killed in a vehicle collision before school on Oct. 27.
As of press time Oct. 29, the Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff was still investigating why and how a male 15-year-old Monta Vista bicyclist collided with a haul truck carrying a trailer.
It was unknown whether the student hit the vehicle or the truck hit the student. It was also unclear where the student made contact with the truck.
The Fremont Union High School District was able to confirm the victim was sophomore Ethan Justin Wong.
The accident occurred just after 8 a.m. on Monday morning. Sheriff’s deputies received emergency calls at 8:18 a.m. and arrived on the scene to find the student laying on the side of the road.
Emergency medical personnel attempted to the treat the victim; however, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ethan was riding westbound McClellan Road in the bike lane. He and the truck made contact somewhere just before the train tracks that run through McClellan Road and a few yards before the bike lane gives way to right turns onto Bubb Road.
The sheriff’s office has stated to multiple media outlets that the truck driver made a right turn onto Bubb Road after the collision and had to be chased down by witnesses. The driver reportedly was unaware that he had hit the bicyclist.
“He was shocked that he was involved in an accident,” Sgt. Kurtis Stenderup said. “When he learned of that, he’s been very cooperative.”
It is also unclear why the haul truck was on McClellan Road at 8 a.m. and what project or business, if any, it was affiliated with. Both Cupertino public works director Timm Borden and city civil engineer David Stillman confirmed with the Cupertino Courier that McClellan Road is not a designated truck route as defined by the city municipal code. However, the code allows for trucks above a certain size to use most streets for making pickups and deliveries.
Although the victim’s identity had not yet been released, a memorial for Ethan sprouted up Monday evening and has grown ever larger near the accident site. Flowers, cards, messages, signs, teddy bears and candles sit not far from where shattered pieces of a bike still lie in the gutter. Residents and students have been stopping by the site to view the intersection for themselves, leave flowers or offer accident theories of their own.
An avid bicyclist, who wished only to be identified as Frank, stopped by the memorial the following morning. He said he and his biking group discussed the fatal accident and usually avoid the tri-school area on their rides, particularly before and after school. He also deemed McClellan Road as far too narrow for a safe ride, particularly near a massive vehicle like a big rig.
“We never use this route. It’s too busy. There are kids walking and biking through here,” he said. “This is an area where you need to be extra careful.”
Resident Holly Jin visited the site and wondered aloud if bike riders younger than the driving age should be sharing the road with older and more experienced motorists.
“I wouldn’t let my kid [share the road] before having a driver’s license,” Jin said. “I’m not saying the [victim] is at fault, but children do not know the traffic rules. Children under 16 have not taken a driver’s test, and sharing the road with cars is not safe.”
Cupertino’s tri-school area is home to Monta Vista High, Lincoln Elementary and Kennedy Middle schools, and is not far from the rear entrance of De Anza College. The area has become a notorious traffic headache for the city, and multiple entities have been working on solutions to ease traffic in the area before and after school.
Bicycle safety and the promotion of biking and walking to school to alleviate tri-school traffic have been key topics in this year’s race for the Cupertino City Council and Cupertino Union School District board. The issue and possible solutions were analyzed at two recent council candidate forums and another forum for CUSD board member candidates.
The city of Cupertino has promoted a Walk One Week event to get kids in the habit of going to school without a car. The city’s bicycle and pedestrian commission also hosted a bike safety rodeo on Oct. 4. More than 125 children rolled on over to an event that saw the city share bicycle riding tips, according to the city.
In 2011, the city opened up an alternate bike and walk pathway at Blackberry Farm through Scenic Circle for students living on the more western edge of the city.
Any witnesses to the accident or those who may have any information about the incident are asked to contact the sheriff’s West Valley traffic investigators at WVAdmin@sheriff.sccgov.org.
