Joy Covey, 50, the former CFO of Amazon was killed when her bicycle was hit by a minivan owned by OnTrac, a shipping service used by Amazon, Apple and other online retailers.

According to the New York Times, Covey joined Amazon.com when it was a newly hatched dot-com with big ideas. As its chief financial officer, she played an important role in turning those ideas into a reality. She helped take the company public and was a much-quoted advocate for Amazon’s plans to ignore Wall Street and invest for the future. That radical notion has been the foundation for Amazon’s growth into a $61 billion retailing and entertainment behemoth.

The police said that a minivan apparently making deliveries for OnTrac, a shipping service used by Amazon, Apple and other online retailers, was turning into a side road when the accident occurred. The police said that neither drugs nor alcohol appeared to be a factor in the collision.

“It appears the driver was making deliveries, but we’re still working on our investigation,” said Art Montiel, a California Highway Patrol spokesman.



OnTrac, which is based in Phoenix, said the van was driven by a 22-year-old “contract driver.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family affected by this tragic accident,” said Laura Peterson, OnTrac’s vice president of marketing.

Mary Osako, an Amazon spokeswoman, said: “It’s a very sad day at Amazon. Joy was a wonderful human being and treasured colleague, and we will miss her very much.”

Ms. Covey left Amazon in 2000, as the dot-com boom was ending. Survivors include a young son.