Updated: Bicyclist Suffers Major Head Injuries After Being Struck by Car

A Los Gatos bicyclist was critically injured by an unlicensed driver Wednesday morning at the intersection of Wheeler Avenue and Los Gatos Boulevard, police said.

responded to the accident at 7:41 a.m. and found the bicyclist, Bahram Saghari, 52, who was on the northbound bike lane of Los Gatos Boulevard, had collided with a southbound car driven by San Jose resident Juan Antonio Rodriguez-Gallegos, 42, said police spokesman Sgt. Kerry Harris.

According to a press release issued Thursday afternoon, an initial investigation of the accident showed that northbound morning commute traffic on Los Gatos Boulevard was backed up for the red signal light at the intersection of Highway 9.

The intersection of Wheeler Avenue, just south of the Highway 9 intersection, is marked with “Keep Clear” to allow ingress and egress from that street when traffic is backed up, the release said. 

The bicyclist suffered major head injuries in the collision and was transported to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for treatment where he remains in critical condition, according to police.

Rodriguez-Gallegos, who was driving a Ford Explorer, was reportedly attempting a left-hand from southbound Highway 9 onto eastbound Wheeler Avenue. After completing the turn, the Ford Explorer was struck broadside by the bicyclist who was traveling in the bicycle lane northbound on Los Gatos Boulevard, alongside the line of backed-up traffic, police said.

The driver was cited at the scene of the accident for not having a driver's license, Harris added.

"There was heavy traffic at the time, so I'm sure it was followed up immediately after it occurred," Harris said.

The accident's cause is under investigation, he said.

The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno accident investigation team had several portions of the roadway closed into late Wednesday afternoon, Harris said.

Santa Clara County Fire Department personnel and paramedics also responded to the accident, police said. 

Anyone with information regarding the collision is asked to call Sgt. Steve Walpole at 408-354-6851.