Traffic crash in south Wichita kills bicyclist

A bicyclist died Thursday night when a vehicle struck her as both traveled northbound on Oliver, near George Washington Boulevard, Wichita police say.

Lt. Jose Salcido said the woman and another bicyclist were riding in the outer lane of the 2600 block of South Oliver when the vehicle hit the woman from behind about 9:50 p.m. The vehicle, first described as a van then as a work-type truck, drove away, he said.

The other bike rider, a man, rendered aid to the fallen woman, but she died at the scene, Salcido said. He called the apparent hit-and-run collision “totally unexpected” for the pair.

Salcido said that by late Thursday officers had found the work-type truck and were interviewing its driver – a man – as well as other witnesses. He credited a “very courageous citizen” with following the van and providing its tag number and other vital information to 911.

The name of the woman killed has not been released. Sedgwick County dispatch and emergency radio traffic referred to her as a pedestrian immediately after the crash.

No arrests had been made in connection with the crash or the woman’s death late Thursday, Salcido said. He expected the police department to release more details Friday morning during a briefing at City Hall.

At the crash scene late Thursday, two long pieces of crime scene tape hung across Oliver, cordoning off a section of the road. A crumbled bicycle and a body lay in the northbound lanes of Oliver. A small SUV was parked curbside in the southbound lanes.

Several police vehicles, lights flashing, surrounded the area. Northbound traffic on Oliver was being diverted onto George Washington Boulevard in the hours after the crash; police cars blocked southbound traffic on Oliver near Pawnee.

The road was expected to remain closed for several hours.

This story was originally published January 9, 2014 at 10:06 PM with the headline "Traffic crash in south Wichita kills bicyclist."