A female cyclist was killed in Midtown Manhattan on Monday morning in a horrific hit-and-run collision with a dump truck driver that left the victim mangled beyond recognition.
According to police sources, the incident unfolded just before 11 a.m. on Sept. 28 along a rain-slickened West 34th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.
The bustling strip was brought to a screeching halt after the victim was struck by a dump truck driver as she rode a Jofo e-bike westbound along West 34th Street. Police initially identified the victim as a teen, but upon further investigation, they learned she was actually a 51-year-old woman.
The impact of the collision caused the woman to be thrown from her ride. Police sources said the victim landed under one of the dump truck’s wheels, and her head was completely crushed as the driver of the dump truck continued along West 34th Street.
“The truck came, and the bike was here, and the truck served and hit them. I was across the street. I was down. I was walking, and I saw it, and that’s when everybody started running out, crowding and stuff,” said an eyewitness who asked not to be identified.
Sources familiar with the investigation said the dump truck was later located at the corner of 5th Avenue and 35th Street. The suspected driver was handcuffed and detained before being given a sobriety test. He was then taken into custody, but charges have yet to be filed.
Back on 34th Street, officers from the Midtown South Precinct and the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad encountered a gruesome scene immediately after the collision. The victim’s mangled body parts were strewn across the roadway.
Responding EMS units pronounced her dead at the scene.
According to Transportation Alternatives, a biking non-profit advocacy organization, the victim was a delivery worker.
“We’re horrified and heartbroken that another bike rider is dead. This is the 20th bike rider killed on our streets this year — the 20th New Yorker whose community is now grieving a sudden and preventable loss,” said Ben Furnas, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. “In just two days, the City Council will hold a hearing on e-bikes. During such a deadly year, it would make sense to hold a hearing on bikes and bike safety — but we must be clear about the risks and the dangers. Seventeen New Yorkers on e-bikes have been killed on our streets so far this year, and our city’s leaders should be doing everything in their power to ensure safety on our streets.”
Transportation Alternatives went on to decry a lack of bike infrastructure on 34th Street. They also stated that this latest death marks the 149th person to die on city streets, and the 36th killed in Manhattan.
“It’s very busy here. You got the e-bikes flying around, people doing deliveries, you got crazy traffic, crazy cars. It’s a lot of congestion going on,” said Kenny Chan, a worker in the area.
Naomi, a worker in the nearby Crocs store, said she saw the immediate aftermath of the collision. “I saw them putting up the caution tape around it. There was already a sheet on the person,” Naomi said.
The body remained on scene for several hours as police cordoned off the area and investigated. Collision Investigation Squad members were seen taking photos of the bike and assessing the damage.
Monday’s collision was eerily similar to a deadly crash in the East Village on Sept. 11, when 15-year-old Daria Serkov was fatally struck and killed by a truck driver while riding a Citi Bike with a friend.
This is a developing story; check with amNY.com for further updates.
