OCEANSIDE -- A scientist was killed Wednesday morning as he rode his bicycle to work, authorities said.

The accident happened at 7:59 a.m. on College Boulevard, just 500 feet north of Oceanside Boulevard, Oceanside police traffic investigator Eric Anderson said.

The bicyclist -- identified as Gregory Ewing, 34, of Oceanside by the county medical examiner's office -- was riding southbound in the bicycle lane on College Boulevard when a northbound vehicle made a left turn in front of him to go into a shopping center, Anderson said.

Ewing, who wore a helmet, suffered major injuries and died while en route to Tri-City Medical Center, he said.

James Wroth, 37, of Vista, the driver of a 1991 Ford Explorer that collided with Ewing, was not injured. Wroth, who is a teacher at Tri-City Christian Schools, was not cited.

Police investigators have not yet determined who was at fault in the collision, Anderson said.

Ewing had been employed for 2 1/2 years as a medical chemist at Biota Inc., a pharmaceutical company in Carlsbad. He worked on projects aimed at discovering treatments for important virual diseases, said company President Sterling Johnson.

"Dr. Ewing, … Greg … was an outstanding scientist, greatly loved and appreciated by his fellow workers. He was known to be a family person. Everyone respected him for his deep devotion to his wife and children. He was known as a person with high values and character," Johnson said.

Ewing is survived by his wife, Deborah, and two young children, authorities said.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact Anderson at (760) 435-4796.