Bicyclist killed in collision with big rig near Merced, CHP says

The California Highway Patrol is investigating a collision that left a cyclist dead just south of Merced on Thursday.

At 6:42 a.m. officers responded to a report of a big rig that struck a cyclist in the area of West Dickenson Ferry Road, west of South El Capitan School Road, according to CHP Officer Eric Zuniga.

Authorities said 31-year-old Esmeralda Hernandez Lopez was driving a 2014 Freightliner big rig eastbound on West Dickenson Ferry Road at about 55 mph, when the front of the big rig struck the rear of a 69-year-old male bicyclist who was also traveling eastbound along the roadway.

The cyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.

Zuniga said the lack of ambient light in the area as well as the lack of reflectors or lighting on the bicycle and the cyclist’s dark clothing, may have been a factor in the collision.

Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be a factor in the collision which remains under investigation, according to Zuniga.

Anyone with information about the collision is asked to contact the Merced area CHP Office at 209-356-6600.