A man was struck and killed while riding his bicycle just blocks from his home on March 14th. This tragic bicycle accident in New York City was the sixth such fatal crash in just the first three months of the year. While six fatalities is nowhere near a record for New York, it definitely does not bode well for the remainder of 2019. Also, while there were only 10 fatal bicycle accidents in New York City in 2018, there were hundreds of victims were injured.
The cyclists-a 53-year-old man-was headed west on Borden Avenue around 8 AM when he was struck by a car driven south on Second Street. EMTs arrived within minutes and the victim was still alive when they transported him to Mount Sinai Hospital. However, his injuries proved too severe. He passed away at the hospital.
The driver of the car, a 51-year-old, stayed at the scene of the crime and was not immediately charged. However, pending a complete investigation of the crash, charges may be forthcoming.
Safety advocates say that the death was completely unnecessary. Indeed, they’re renewing calls for the installation of a protected bike lane in the area to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future. Sadly, there are protected bike lanes all around the crash site, making this particular zone a “weak link” in the bicycling network on Long Island.
Regardless of the presence of dedicated bike lanes, drivers in New York City have a “Duty of Care” laid out in the Motor Vehicle Code that explicitly instructs all drivers to use caution when pedestrians or cyclists are in close proximity. When driver’s fail to exercise that duty of care, or when they fail to yield the right of way to pedestrians or cyclists and collisions occur, the driver is at fault for the accident.
If you’ve been injured by a negligent driver, contact an experienced bicycle accident lawyer in New York City to recover the compensation you deserve. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 right now.