Joy Covey, Amazon’s First CFO, Dies In Bike Accident

Joy Covey was killed this week in a bike accident in California.

Covey, who was the first CFO of Amazon, was hit by a van while cycling in San Mateo County.

Amazon spokesperson Mary Osako told CNET: “It’s a very sad day for Amazon. Joy was a wonderful human being and treasured colleague, and we will miss her very much.”

California Highway Patrol officer Arturo Montiel said that Covey, 50, was bicycling down a rural stretch of road when a van turned in front of her. Covey was traveling down hill at the time and collided with the van.

Montiel said: “The vehicle turned left directly in front of the bicycle, which was traveling downhill.”

Montiel said that the 22-year-old driver has been cooperative and that he has not been charged with a crime yet. Police do not believe that alcohol or drugs played a part in the crash but the incident is still under investigation.

Covey is best known for helping Amazon turn into an internet juggernaut, but she left the company in April of 2000. At the time of death, she was working for the environmental group National Resources Defense Council.

Mercury News reports that Joy Covey was named the 28th most powerful woman by Fortune Magazine in 1999.

Kara Swisher wrote a touching piece about Covey and her impact on the internet for All Things D. Swisher writes: She was a person of substance, of heart, of grit and of much-needed humor. Joy did not just tell it like it was — she lived it like it was, too… More than a class act, she was a memorable one.”

[Image Via Twitter]