An 8-year-old girl riding her bicycle was struck and killed by a 20-year-old driver near 17th Avenue and Alpine Street in Longmont shortly before 3:30 p.m. on Friday.

Deputy Police Chief Jeff Satur said the crash occurred at 3:22 p.m. The girl — who has not been identified — died at Longmont United Hospital after police and firefighters attempted CPR.

Satur said the girl’s next of kin have been notified, and the Boulder County Coroner’s Office would likely release her name on Saturday.

He said the girl and her stepfather were riding their bicycles westbound on 17th Avenue when she was struck at the intersection at Alpine Street. The driver had been northbound on Alpine Street and was preparing to make a right turn when the crash happened.

The driver was in a full-sized Ford pickup truck, remained on scene and has been cooperating with police, Satur said. Police have not released his name or said whether he will be charged with any crimes in connection with the crash.

A witness who did not want to be identified said he was in a vehicle with his father, and he saw the girl on her bike and turned away for a moment, then saw her lying facedown on the ground. He said the truck came to a stop about 20 feet away, and the driver exited his truck and jogged to the girl.

Margarita Taylor runs a home daycare center near the intersection of Alpine Street and 17th Avenue and said she heard someone screaming and at first thought it was students from nearby Skyline High School fighting outside.

“They were yelling ‘no, no, no, no, no,'” she said.

Taylor said she walked to the corner of Alpine Street and 17th Avenue and saw the police performing CPR on the girl.

“I’m a nurse, too, so I know you need to do CPR for a reason,” she said. “It’s really bad. It’s really sad, especially since I’m taking care of kids.”

Friday’s incident marks the third pedestrian fatality in Longmont since November. James Williams, 28, died Nov. 1 after being struck by a minivan as he crossed Kimbark Street in front of the Longmont Public Library on Oct. 28.

Joseph Albert Biondo, 25, died on Nov. 19 after being struck by an SUV as he attempted to cross Ken Pratt Boulevard east of Martin Street. Drivers were not cited in either case.

Police and crime scene investigators were busy taking photos and measurements at the intersection on Friday afternoon. A child’s bicycle and helmet laid inside the intersection, and an adult’s bicycle was laid down on the sidewalk. The truck was stopped slightly off of 17th Avenue about 20 feet east of Alpine Street.

Police were clearing the scene shortly after 8 p.m. Satur said that the driver has been released pending further investigation, which will include checking the lighting sequence at the intersection and an inspection of the truck.

He said that after the investigation is complete, police will present their findings to Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, which sent a prosecutor to the scene on Friday.

“There’s still a lot we need to do,” Satur said.

John Bear: 303-473-1355, bearj@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/johnbearwithme