Light bars on an ambulance.
File photo of an ambulance.

A cyclist died Friday morning in the Washington neighborhood after a traffic collision with a city employee, officials said.

Police say the collision happened around 7:42 a.m. when a city employee who was driving southbound near the area of 17th Street and Oregon Avenue struck a cyclist who failed to stop at the intersection’s stop sign.

Long Beach police arrived soon after and began to check on the cyclist’s well-being, police said. When fire personnel arrived at the scene, they pronounced the cyclist dead.

Police identified the driver as a 59-year-old Long Beach city employee. They said distracted driving, impairment and speed don’t appear to be factors in the crash. The driver was in a city-owned Ford F250 truck, the LBPD said.

The driver remained on the scene and cooperated with the investigation, police said. He was then taken to a hospital for assessment before being sent home for the remainder of his shift. A separate city employee who was en route to another assignment witnessed the collision and remained at the scene as well, according to city officials.

“The City’s thoughts are with everyone involved and affected by this tragic incident,” the city said in a statement today.

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office will conduct its own investigation to identify the bicyclist and notifying their next of kin, the LBPD said.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Editor’s note: this story was updated with more information from police.

Long Beach recognized as one of the nation’s most bike-friendly cities