10-year-old killed in crash with Amazon delivery van in Bay Area

• A 10-year-old boy died on Tuesday afternoon in a bicycle accident with an Amazon delivery van, the company confirmed on Wednesday.
• "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family and loved ones following this terrible accident," Amazon spokesperson Lisa Levandowski said in a statement.
• The boy reportedly crashed into the back of the Amazon delivery van, the company said, while both were traveling downhill.

A 10-year-old boy was killed in a crash with an Amazon delivery van on Tuesday afternoon in Lafayette, California, the company confirmed on Wednesday.

The boy reportedly crashed into the back of an Amazon delivery van while both were traveling downhill, Amazon said. He was taken to the hospital and later died of his injuries, according to an ABC report.

"Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family and loved ones following this terrible accident," Amazon spokesperson Lisa Levandowski said in a statement. "We are working with law enforcement as they investigate."

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The delivery van's driver was reportedly released without citation, the company said.

The driver was not a full-time Amazon employee, but a paid contractor.

As Amazon has expanded to handle each facet of retail operations, from product creation to sales to shipping, the company has faced increasing scrutiny for its contract delivery operations. Through contractors, who are technically employed by another company, Amazon is able to skirt responsibility for those contractors' actions.

An investigation from The New York Times and ProPublica published in September 2019 highlighted at least 10 instances of deaths involving Amazon contract delivery drivers. According to the investigation, Amazon's first CFO, Joy Covey, is said to have died from a collision with an Amazon contract delivery driver.