The Lafayette Police Department says the crash happened just before 10 p.m. on Tuesday. According to police, the bus and the bicyclist crashed at the intersection of City Center Circle and South Public Road in Lafayette.
Police say the cyclist, 43-year-old Marvin "Chip" Webb from Lafayette, was airlifted to Denver Health Medical Center in critical condition. The Denver Coroner's office confirmed he died on Wednesday afternoon.
"We're all shocked, we're just shocked. We were just with him like two hours prior," Steve Haines, one of Webb's friends, said.
Webb's friends say when they heard he had been in a crash a few blocks away from his restaurant, Chips Place, they went to the scene.
They say they saw huge cracks in the buses' windshield and items they knew belonged to Webb.
"I went down there... and I walked over and saw his bike and his coat," Haines said.
The Lafayette Police Department is investigating the cause of the crash. Lafayette Police say representatives with RTD are helping with the investigation. Police say the bus was making a left turn at a traffic light, but it is unclear who is at fault in the accident.
Webb's friends say the intersection is a busy one for buses.
"They pull in and out of that RTD fast. It's crazy," Haines said.
RTD spokesman Scott Reed says there are video cameras on the bus and the video should help in the investigation.
The name of the bus driver was not released, but RTD says the driver has been with RTD for more than five years and has a clean driving record. The driver is on leave until the investigation is finished.
As news of the accident traveled around Lafayette on Wednesday, flowers and candles were placed on the front steps of Chips Place.
"He just had that smile. He was coming back from bowling, his other love. He liked fishing. Just an all around good guy," Haines said.
"We were supposed to go hit golf balls, play video games together. He's one of the greatest guys I've come across," Tara Proffitt, another friend, said.
Tuesday night's crash was the third involving an RTD bus since Saturday. On Saturday in Denver, two people were killed and a dozen more hurt, when a bus ran a red light at 8th and Lincoln Streets. The driver in that incident, 30-year-old Tideneykiyalesh Hawariyat, is charged with two counts of careless driving resulting in death and 11 counts of careless driving resulting in injury. She is set to be arraigned on May 7. She worked for Veolia Transportation, a private contractor for RTD.
On Wednesday, Veolia Transportation spokesperson Valerie Michaels released this statement:
"This was a tragic accident for everyone involved--the victims who died, the injured passengers, our driver and all of their families and loved ones. Safety has been and will continue to be our first priority at Veolia Transportation. We will continue to dedicate ourselves to accident prevention, through training, and building and maintaining a strong safety culture. We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to everyone affected by this event. "
On Monday in Aurora, a man died near a bus stop after a he was run over by a bus. It is unclear if the man fell, or how it happened. The man was identified on Wednesday as 78-year-old Clinton Grider of Aurora.
RTD says it has only been in one at-fault accident that resulted in a fatality, which was in September 2007. Reed says because of the recent accidents, drivers will get another reminder about safety next week.
"We're doing refresher training for all of our bus operators system-wide, including our private contractors, beginning next week. We've been out emphasizing with each bus operator at pull out, as they pull out for their shift, the importance of safety. We've been sending periodic data messages to each bus reminding them that safety is their number one priority," Reed said.
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