Articles Posted in Bicycle Accidents
Can You Sue the City of New York If You’re Injured After a Protected Bike Lane Is Removed?
What Cyclists Need to Know About Legal Recourse After the Bedford Avenue Lane Rollback
The New York City Department of Transportation is set to remove three blocks of the protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue between Willoughby and Flushing Avenues—just months after the agency itself testified that the protected lane made the corridor safer for cyclists. This decision, made in the face of strong safety data and vocal opposition from advocates, raises serious legal concerns.
As bicycle accident attorneys representing injured cyclists across New York City, we want to be clear: if you are injured in a crash that occurs after the removal of a proven safety measure—such as a protected bike lane—you may have a legal claim against the City.
NYPD Cracks Down on Cyclists While Letting Dangerous Drivers Slide, Advocates Say
As NYC car accident lawyers who have spent decades representing the victims of reckless driving, we are deeply troubled by the NYPD’s current enforcement priorities.
According to recent data, NYPD officers issued 13% fewer traffic tickets to motorists between April and June 2025 — even as criminal summonses against cyclists skyrocketed. Criminal court summonses (C summonses) against bike and e-bike riders surged from approximately 600 before the spring crackdown to nearly 6,000. Meanwhile, traffic tickets for motorists dropped by over 20,000 in the same timeframe.
This shift in enforcement is not only unjustified — it’s dangerously misguided.
Who Is Liable When a Stolen Rental Car Kills a Pedestrian and Cyclist in NYC?
Legal options for families after the Chinatown tragedy involving an overdue Enterprise vehicle
The tragic crash that unfolded in Manhattan’s Chinatown last Saturday morning has left New Yorkers shaken—and two families in mourning. According to police and prosecutors, a stolen blue Chevy Malibu, overdue by 17 days from an Enterprise Rent-A-Car, was speeding through the streets when it struck and killed 63-year-old pedestrian May Kwok and 63-year-old cyclist Kevin Scott Cruickshank before crashing into an NYPD van.
The vehicle was reportedly filled with drugs, alcohol, and an illegal gun stashed in the trunk. Surveillance footage shows the horrifying moment the stolen vehicle mowed down the victims. The driver, Autumn Donna Ascencio Romero, 23, and passenger Kennedy Lecraft, 22, fled the scene but were caught shortly after and now face a long list of felony charges, including murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Did a Police Pursuit Lead to the Death of 15-Year-Old Antonio Benitez?
Queens Tragedy Raises Questions About NYPD Pursuit Practices and Accountability
At Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf, our Queens car accident attorneys represent families whose lives have been shattered by high-speed police chases gone wrong. The recent death of 15-year-old Antonio “Anthony” Benitez—struck by an unlicensed driver during an NYPD pursuit in Queens—is the latest incident that underscores the dangers of police chases in densely populated neighborhoods.
According to the NYPD, the fatal incident began with a 911 call at 8:01 p.m. on Saturday reporting a knifepoint robbery outside a pharmacy on Hillside Avenue and 257th Street in Floral Park. Responding officers began canvassing the area and encountered a group of teens. One of them—Antonio—fled on an electric bike. Officers pursued him for over a mile until he was fatally struck by a Lexus driver who was allegedly unlicensed.
Stand-Up Scooter Rider Killed in Cambria Heights Collision: Our Queens Car Accident Lawyers Call for Accountability
A fatal crash in Queens, NYC, tragically ended the life of a local stand-up scooter rider during morning rush hour, underscoring the increasing dangers faced by micromobility users on city streets.
According to the NYPD, 39-year-old Shaun Lagredelle was riding his electric scooter westbound on 116th Avenue in Cambria Heights just before 6:40 a.m. on June 26, when a Ford Transit van traveling eastbound attempted to turn left onto Nashville Boulevard. The van collided with the scooter, throwing Lagredelle to the pavement. He sustained severe head and body injuries and was rushed by EMS to Long Island Jewish Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
As Queens car accident lawyers, we have seen far too many cases involving electric scooters and bicycles where drivers fail to yield or misjudge turns—often with fatal consequences. These cases raise urgent questions about visibility, driver attentiveness, and the adequacy of street design in protecting vulnerable road users.
A Safer Astoria for All: Balancing Bicycle Safety and Small Business Needs
As personal injury lawyers serving the Queens community — and as legal advocates who have seen firsthand the devastating consequences of bicycle accidents — we feel compelled to weigh in on a matter that’s deeply impacting our neighbors in Astoria: the proposed protected bike lane on 31st Street.
This debate is about more than infrastructure. It’s about lives, livelihoods, and the possibility of building a safer, stronger community.
The Harsh Reality of Bicycle Accidents
Capping E-Bike Speeds Won’t Stop the Killing—Building Safer Streets Will
As New York City bicycle-accident attorneys, we question Mayor Eric Adams’s push to cap e-bike speeds at 15 mph. The proposal grabs headlines, but the data shows that speed-limited e-bikes aren’t what’s killing New Yorkers—multi-ton motor vehicles and policy inaction are.
What the Numbers Say
From January 2024 through May 2025 at least 16 fatal bike-related crashes occurred city-wide. Only one involved a cyclist striking a pedestrian. The rest were motorists striking cyclists or cyclists forced into harm’s way by car doors, trucks, or emergency vehicles.
| Date | Victim | Bike Type | Citi Bike | Cause Category | Specific Cause / Scenario | At Fault |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-02-22 | Cyclist | Private pedal | No | Driver Error | Truck left-turn hit-and-run | Motorist |
| 2024-02-23 | Cyclist | Private pedal | No | Driver Error | Speeding driver ran red light | Motorist |
| 2024-02-27 | Cyclist | Citi Bike e-assist | Yes | Dooring + Driver Error | Doored, then hit by passing car | Shared |
| 2024-04-04 | Cyclist | Private (pedal) | No | Driver Error | Truck “right-hooked” across protected lane | Motorist |
| 2024-06-07 | Cyclist | Citi Bike pedal | Yes | Driver Error | Box truck struck rider | Motorist |
| 2024-08-19 | Cyclist | Private e-bike | No | Driver Error | Box truck right turn into teens on e-bike | Motorist |
| 2024-09-01 | Cyclist | Private pedal | No | Driver Error | Drunk, unlicensed van driver | Motorist |
| 2024-10-22 | Cyclist | Private pedal | No | Police Chase | Fleeing pickup ran red light | Motorist |
| 2024-10-30 | Cyclist | Private (pedal) | No | Emergency Vehicle | FDNY pickup struck cyclist | Motorist |
| 2024-11-02 | Cyclist | Private (pedal) | No | Police Chase | Fleeing minivan ran red light | Motorist |
| 2025-02-25 | Cyclist | Private (pedal) | No | Driver Error | MTA bus turning through intersection | Motorist |
| 2025-03-19 | Cyclist | Private e-bike | No | Driver Error | Two cars in chain-reaction crash | Motorist |
| 2025-03-21 | Pedestrian | Delivery e-bike | No | Cyclist Error | E-biker blew stop sign, struck pedestrian | Cyclist |
| 2025-04-19 | Cyclist | Private (pedal) | No | Emergency Vehicle | FDNY fire engine ran red light | Motorist |
| 2025-05-01 | Cyclist | Private e-bike | No | Dooring + Driver Error | Doored, then run over by box truck | Shared |
Totals (Jan 2024 – May 2025)
- Driver Error / Motorist at fault: 13 deaths
- Dooring + Driver Error (shared fault): 2 deaths
- Emergency Vehicle collisions: 2 deaths
- Police-chase crashes: 2 deaths
- Cyclist error: 1 death (pedestrian struck)
Why a 15 mph Cap Misses the Mark
- Motor-vehicle violence—not e-bike speed—is the killer. Thirteen of sixteen deaths were caused by drivers of vans, trucks, buses, or cars.
- Dooring remains lethal. Two fatalities started with a parked driver flinging a door open. No speed cap fixes that.
- High-speed police chases and emergency-vehicle protocols need reform. Two cyclists died because drivers—fleeing or on emergency runs—blew through red lights.
- Delivery workers will bear the burden. A blanket e-bike cap criminalizes low-wage couriers while leaving truck violence untouched.
What Will Save Lives
- Build the protected bike-lane network Mayor Adams promised. Paint alone isn’t protection; New Yorkers need concrete-separated lanes in every borough.
- Daylight intersections and end curbside parking at corners so cyclists aren’t hidden from turning trucks.
- Hold dangerous drivers accountable—especially for hit-and-runs, DWI, and dooring violations.
- Equip city and commercial trucks with side guards and better visibility tech.
- Re-evaluate NYPD pursuit policies that turn city streets into racetracks.
Lowering e-bike speeds to 15 mph may feel like action, but it’s a distraction. Let’s focus on the proven fixes that keep every New Yorker, cyclist, pedestrian, and motorist, alive.
Need legal help after a bicycle crash? Our team at Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf has recovered record-setting verdicts and settlements for injured cyclists and their families. Call 212-943-1090 for a free consultation.
Cyclists Sliced by Suspended String on Marine Parkway Bridge: No Arrests Made Despite Severe Injuries
Our NYC Personal Injury Lawyers Raise Concerns About Kite Fighting, Negligence, and Public Safety
Two cyclists were seriously injured—one critically—after riding into a string stretched across the Marine Parkway Bridge bike lane on June 1st, 2025. Despite the traumatic injuries sustained, including a severed windpipe and broken bones, the NYPD has announced it found “no criminality.” As New York personal injury attorneys, we believe this incident raises troubling questions about accountability, enforcement, and public safety.
A Harrowing Incident with Life-Altering Consequences
Most Common Personal Injury Claims in New York in June: Insights from Top NYC Trial Attorneys
At Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf, our New York personal injury attorneys have represented victims of negligence in New York for more than 100 years. Each June, we see a seasonal rise in serious personal injury claims across the five boroughs. Below are the most common types of cases we handle this time of year—and what you should know if you or a loved one has been injured.
1. Car Accident Claims
Traffic congestion increases significantly in the summer, and with it, so do accidents. Many of the cases we handle involve serious injuries caused by speeding, distracted driving, or failure to yield. We have obtained some of the highest verdicts and settlements in New York for motor vehicle accident victims, including an $85 million jury verdict for a pedestrian struck by a sightseeing bus in Manhattan.
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