Tucson Police, code lights

A man has died after he was struck by an impaired driver while riding his bicycle on Tucson’s southeast side Tuesday afternoon.

Tucson Police said the bicyclist, a man in his 30s, was on the sidewalk and riding southbound on the eastside of Rita Road when a white 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee traveling northbound veered off the roadway and onto the sidewalk, striking the bicyclist.

When police and Tucson Fire personnel arrived at the 8200 block of South Rita Road, near East Old Vail Road, they pronounced the bicyclist dead at the scene. The driver of the Jeep, a 22-year-old man, was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

According to interviews, the driver of the Jeep exhibited reckless driving behavior prior to the crash and was determined to be impaired, police said.

The identity of the bicyclist was not released pending notification of family.

The investigation remains open, pending the condition/release of the driver of the Jeep.


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