Nick Penzenstadler

USA TODAY

A flat-bed truck struck and killed a 25-year-old Chicago woman riding a shared bike on Friday.

It’s believed to be the nation’s first person killed with the service — known as Divvy in Chicago.

The crash happened near Sacramento and Belmont avenues in the Avondale neighborhood on the city’s Northwest Side.

Police told the Chicago Tribune the woman was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center but later died.

The bike share program began about a decade ago and since has spread to 105 municipalities in the U.S,. with 3,400 stations holding 32,000 bikes, according to a recent estimate.

A researcher estimated in April that shared bikes accounted for about 71 million trips without a fatality since 2008.

Bike programs need subsidies to keep rolling

The safety track record in Chicago is “really, really strong,” said Jim Merrell, advocacy director for the Active Transportation Alliance, in an interview with DNAinfo. Merrell said the group is working on a “Vision Zero” strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities, including bicycles.

“And this crash is a tragic reminder that there’s a lot of work that remains to be done to ensure everyone using our streets is safe,” Merrell said.