The accident scene at Drake Rd. and Iowa Dr. in Fort Collins, Colorado. (August 20, 2009) |
FORT COLLINS, Colo.—
A teenage girl riding her bike to school in Fort Collins has died from injuries sustained in a collision with an SUV Thursday.14-year-old Urangua Mijiddorj was riding her bicycle about 6:43 a.m. when she was hit by an SUV near the intersection of Drake Rd. and Iowa Dr.
Police say the driver, Christopher Christian, 38, was headed eastbound on Drake, while the bicyclist traveled northbound on Iowa.
There is no stop sign or traffic signal at that intersection. So, Christian would have had the right of way.
Christian says he didn't think she was crossing northbound because he would have seen her waiting on the side of the road closest to him. He says the sun was in his eyes. But he could still see well enough.
Regardless, he says he saw her at the last minute and couldn't stop in time.
"I'm very sorry it happened...We are grieving with them," he says. He and his wife have four kids of their own, so they say the accident really tears at them.
Other cyclists who saw the aftermath of the collision say that intersection is a busy one. "Since they opened this road, traffic gets real busy. Sometimes you have to wait several minutes to get across. So it's kind of a dangerous place to cross," says Wes Berg.
Police ask drivers to be extra careful now that school is back in session.
"Whether it is college students, elementary or high school students, there are a lot of bikes out in the street now. We ask people to be cognizant, be careful where ever they drive in the city," says Sgt. Jon Holsten.
Authorities say Mijiddorj passed away at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland Thursday evening.
