At approximately 6:30 a.m. Friday, a bicyclist was struck by a vehicle on Calle Real near the intersection of San Mateo Avenue in the City of Goleta.

The bicyclist, an 88-year- old male Goleta resident, suffered major injuries and was transported to a local hospital. His condition is unknown at this time.

The collision involved a GMC 2500 pickup truck driven by a 33-year-old male Goleta resident.

Both parties were traveling on Calle Real, towards Glen Annie Road, when the truck drifted into the bicycle lane and struck the bicycle.  

Sheriff’s deputies responded and investigated the collision. The investigation revealed the driver took his eyes off of the road, which caused him to drift into the bicycle lane.  

The driver remained at the scene and was not arrested, as alcohol/drugs were not suspected of being a factor in this collision.

Senior Deputy Jeff Farmer said the accident is reminder of the dangers involved with distracted driving.

“This is a perfect time to remind drivers to keep their attention on the movement of their vehicles while driving,” he said.

“We have so many possible distractions in our vehicles that can cause us to look away from the roadway.  As we see here with this collision, it doesn’t take much time of taking your eyes off the road before something of this nature can happen.”

— Kelly Hoover is public information officer for the sheriff’s department.