
Veronica Zamora Perez
A 43-year-old Santa Maria woman has died days after she collided with a city bus while riding a bicycle.
On April 2, Veronica Zamora Perez was riding near the corner of Caballero Lane and McCoy Lane in Santa Maria when she crashed into the city bus. The crash left Perez with major injuries, and she was airlifted to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Perez died of her injuries on April 8, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.
The circumstances surrounding the collision are unclear. KSBY reports city officials initially said Perez was riding in the bicycle lane at the time of the crash, but Santa Maria police are now saying that is not correct.
Police say they are investigating why the initial investigation produced wrong information. Meanwhile, the city has placed the bus driver, a contract employee, on administrative leave.
A toxicology report found that the driver did not have drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of the crash. However, Santa Maria police say they are doing their own toxicology reports on both the driver and the victim.
Perez’s family is collecting donations for the funeral and memorial on a GoFundMe page. The family opted to donate Perez’s organs because she loved to help others, the GoFundMe page states.