Jakub Solovsky, Czech researcher killed in Woodside head‑on bike collision

Jakub Solovsky, a 34‑year‑old Czech post‑doctoral researcher living in East Palo Alto, died on July 11, 2026 after a head‑on collision on Highway 35 in Woodside, California. He was riding southbound when a black Porsche traveling in the opposite direction struck him; the 28‑year‑old driver was reported to have been speeding and failed to navigate a curve, according to California Highway Patrol officials.

Solovsky worked on carbon‑sequestration computational simulations at the Reservoir Engineering Research Institute in Palo Alto and was an active member of the Western Wheelers cycling club. Friends and fellow riders remembered him as a “kind, considerate, yet challenging partner and leader” who always looked out for slower cyclists. The crash occurred less than a year after another cyclist was killed at the Four Corners intersection nearby, prompting a white‑bike memorial and calls for drivers to slow down.