Authorities are investigating the facts surrounding the death of a 21-year-old Boston University student who was struck by a vehicle in Allston Monday night on his bicycle, officials said.
A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus was involved in the incident, but there is no confirmation that the student was hit by the bus, Suffolk District Attorney spokesman Jake Wark said on Tuesday.
“Because it’s early on in the investigation, there are no clear cut set of facts,” Wark said.
Wark said investigators are currently conducting interviews with witnesses and tracking down surveillance tape.
Collision reconstruction experts are also working on tacking down the events of the crash, which could take a few weeks, Wark said.
MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said in an email on Monday that the MBTA is looking into whether a Route 57 bus is involved in the incident and that a bus driver has been removed from service during the investigation. He would not confirm whether an MBTA bus struck the victim.
“A Route 57 bus operator has been taken out of service while police investigators work to establish facts in this matter,” Pesaturo said. “He is 58, and he has been with the T for six years.”
Pesaturo said in an email on Tuesday that the driver of the bus was tested for drugs and alcohol, following standard procedure.
The accident occurred at 6:36 p.m. on the corner of Brighton Avenue and Harvard Avenue, said Neva Coakley, a Boston Police Department spokeswoman, on Monday evening.
“Everybody is still out, and the investigation is still ongoing,” Coakley said.
Boston University spokesman Colin Riley confirmed on Tuesday morning that the biker was a BU student.
Pesaturo said on Monday that the BPD and the District Attorney’s office have taken over the investigation, with Transit Police assisting.
Police officers from District 4 in Brighton responded to the accident and upon arrival they observed a male victim that was seriously injured, Coakley said on Monday. The victim of the accident was transported to Beth Israel Hospital and was pronounced dead upon arrival.
A Boston College graduate student was killed in June after an MBTA bus hit her on Huntington Avenue. In August, BU School of Management alumnus Steve Binnam Ha was hit by a Route 57 bus after witnesses saw him walk across the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Babcock Street when the bus had a green light.
Pesaturo said on Tuesday that the incidents in June and on Monday evening do not demand a reevaluation of MBTA drivers.
“As far as the June incident on Huntington Avenue is concerned, investigators found no wrongdoing on the part of the bus driver,” Pesaturo said. “That bus driver has returned to work. There’s been no suggestion of wrongdoing on the part of last night’s bus driver.”
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