Cyclist struck and killed by car on Memorial Drive in Cambridge

The bicyclist struck by a car on Memorial Drive on Monday evening has died from his injuries, police said. 

John Cochran, 62, of Newton died at Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts State Police said in a statement on Tuesday.

Police responded to the crash near the Boston University Boathouse just before 6 p.m. on Monday. The initial investigation indicates a man in his 20s lost control of his vehicle, striking Cochran, police said. The 62-year-old was taken to the hospital where he later died. 

Police said the investigation into the crash is ongoing and that as of Tuesday evening, no charges have been filed. 

Cochran’s death is the third time in recent months that a cyclist has been struck and killed in Cambridge. In June, a 55-year-old Florida woman and a 24-year-old MIT student were both struck and killed by box trucks in the city.

The stretch of Memorial Drive where Monday’s fatal crash took place for years has long been a concern for bicycling advocates. Last year, the group “BU Bridge Safety Alliance” proposed changes to the nearby Boston University Bridge and its intersections in order to improve safety.

Following Monday’s fatal crash, advocates for cyclists used social media to call on elected officials to take action. 

“Unsafe infrastructure maims and kills” Clive Lawrence, a student at Harvard and advocate wrote on X. “We risk more maiming and killing every day we choose convenience for cars over safety for people. I’m calling on @MassDCR to make immediate changes to this intersection, lower the speed limit, and work with elected officials to get there.”

Cambridge City Councilor Marc McGovern wrote on X that he was “devastated” to hear of Cochran’s death.

“We must do everything we can to make our streets safer, without delay,” he wrote.