TERRA LINDA — A Marin Sanitary Service recycling collector was in critical condition and undergoing brain surgery Friday morning after being struck by a car in Terra Linda.

The man, Jose Silva, 50, of Richmond, was struck shortly after 6:35 a.m. on Golden Hinde Boulevard near De Anza Way as he was stepping into the road at the front of his truck, police said.

San Rafael police Sgt. Jonathan Bean said Silva was found unconscious and unresponsive after being knocked to the ground and striking his head on the pavement.

He said a 40-year-old Terra Linda man who was driving a 1991 Honda Civic was driving around the stopped truck and didn't see the worker standing in front. The driver was just a few blocks from his home on the way to work in San Francisco, Bean said.

"He's pretty shaken up," said Bean, noting the driver stopped immediately. "He was cooperative with the investigation, which is still going on."

Bean said the driver wasn't going fast, but he did not know the speed of the car.

Paramedics with the San Rafael Fire Department took Silva to Marin General Hospital where he underwent neurosurgery at 9:15 a.m. for bleeding in the brain, according to Patty Garbarino, president of Marin Sanitary Service.

Garbarino, who spent the morning at the hospital with family members, said Silva was a 22-year employee with the agency.

"I understand all his (truck) lights were on and flashing," she said. "He had on

Silva remained in critical condition at about 11:30 a.m., according to hospital spokeswoman Ashley Shaw.

Garbarino said the tragic incident serves as a warning.

"It's getting darker later," she said. "We're getting in the wintertime and (servicemen) have to be out there early. Drivers have to slow down and keep in mind these guys are out there having to do this work and to be careful."