Bicycle Accidents

Published on: March 4, 2014

To reduce auto accidents resulting in pedestrian and bicyclist personal injury and death the NYPD launches ticket blitz for double parking or parking on bike lanes in several NYC preccints

In NYC, auto accidents involving pedestrians or bicyclists have a higher risk of occurring when cars or other vehicles are double parked or parked on a bike lane. As part of the Vision Zero traffic initiative mandated by the New York mayor, precincts in the city are launching ticket blitzes against drivers who are double parking or parking on bike lane lanes. One started today in Washington Heights and targeted drivers parking illegally on West 181st Street. Also Today In Park Slope, Brooklyn, the 78th precinct cops who were recently targeting drivers failing to yield turned their attention to drivers illegally parked on the bike lanes. We also previously reported similar activity on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on Columbus Ave.

Published on: February 27, 2014

A significant amount of bicycle accidents resulting in personal injury happen on the lower East Side of Manhattan

By GGCRBHS&M

A heat map of personal injuries resulting from bicycle accidents in New York City reveals that a significant number of these accidents happen on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This situation may be explained by the high number of bicyclists who are commuting everyday over the bridges between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

To prevent Bicyle Accidents , The NYPD is going after double parked trucks on the Columbus Ave Bike lane

By GGCRBHS&M

In New York, bicycle accidents happen quickly when bike lane users have to slalom between the delivery trucks that are using the lane as a parking spot. Yesterday, the NYPD took action and started to issue tickets to all delivery trucks parked on the bike lane on Columbus Ave between west 110th and west 77th street. A vitriolic article in the New York Post that implies that trucks have to double park in the middle of the Ave because of the bike lane got blasted by Streetblog that made clear that poor curb policies around the city and not bike lanes are the reason why delivery trucks are double parking everywhere including in streets with no bike lanes.

Published on: February 24, 2014

To prevent bicycle accidents, a new bike lane may be created along Bond Street in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, New York

By GGCRBHS&M

31 Bicycle Accidents that injured cyclists have been reported since 1995 on Bond Street in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, NY. Everyday close to 400 bicyclists use this road as a downton-bound connection to Brooklyn’s offices and the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges. To protect bicycle users from future accidents, the New York City Department of Transportation proposed the creation of a five foot wide bikers-only lane except between Third and Douglass streets and between Wyckoff and Schermerhorn streets, where it morphs into a shared lane for cars and bike riders. The proposal was presented by the NYC DOT to the Community Board’s transportation committee last week and was received positively. The full community board’s vote is scheduled for March 12th.

New York Bicycle Accident: moving obituary for Pedro Santiago, an unordinary bicycle deliveryman

By GGCRBHS&M

Pedro Santiago who recently died in a bicycle accident during which he was struck by a bus was more than the usual anonymous face of a bicycle delivery man traversing the streets of NYC.

The New York Times wrote an excellent obituary about this gregarious former bicycle delivery man who had become friends with his clients and was reading Dostoevsky and Cervantes in two languages during his downtime.

Read the complete Obituary here

Continue reading →

Published on: January 24, 2014

Bicycle Accident Prevention: New York 78th precinct cops lead by example

By GGCRBHS&M

To prevent Bicycle Accidents on the Bergen Street bike lane, NYPD officers including CO Deputy Inspector Michael Ameri were spotted shoveling the bike lane of the 78th precinct in NYC.

Even though it is extremely cold in New York, people are still riding bicycles, especially the restaurant delivery crews who are bringing food to the many New Yorkers who choose to stay home because of the inclement weather.

New York Bicycle Accident: Cyclist crushed by bus in Harlem

By GGCRBHS&M

45 year old Pedro Santiago died in a bicycle accident this week-end in Harlem, New York. The bicyclist was trying to pass an MTA bus when the driver pulled out of the bus stop and struck him. Pedro Santiago fell on the street and the bus ran over him. He died at the hospital from severe head and body injuries.

This is the first fatal bicycle accident in New York this year. There are more than 3,600 bicycle accidents in NYC every year and last year 17 people died after being involved in a bicycle accident in the city (see our previous blog). Most bicycle accidents happen when a motor vehicle fails to yield the right of way or suddenly makes a left turn into the path of a cyclist. In this case the Bus was pulling out of of a Bus stop. All too often bus drivers, who are forced to work long ours are not attentive to Bicyclists and pedestrians. We do not yet know the facts as to this accident. Since there was a fatality the accident will be intenively reconstructed by The N.Y.P.D. Collision Investigation Squad, formerly known as The Accident Investigation Squad.

Read more about this bicycle accident in the New York Post

Published on: November 29, 2013

4 people died in 3 accidents after being struck by vehicles between 5pm and 5:30pm the night before Thaksgiving in New York

By GGCRBHS&M

The epidemic number of wrongful death related to pedestrians and bicyclists hit by vehicles reached a new high on Wednesday night as 4 people were killed in an half an hour time span in New York City. A man who was riding his bike in Queens died after being hit by a truck whose driver fled. A an 88-year-old woman crossing Ave. C in Manhattan was killed after being struck by a Con Ed truck and two women were killed when a car hit them as they crossed Forest Hill Road in Staten Island.

New York Bicycle Injury Prevention: NYC DOT to give away Bike Helmet this Saturday

By GGCRBHS&M

free%20helmet.jpg In order to prevent bicycle injury and make streets safer, the New York City Department of transportation has been distributing free helmets to New Yorkers for the last seven years. This Saturday the DOT will give its 100,000th helmet at at this weekend’s Atlantic Antic in Brooklyn.
Read more here .

Published on: August 26, 2013

New York Bus Accident: young bicyclist severely injured after being struck by a MTA bus in Brooklyn

By GGCRBHS&M

An 11 year old bicyclist was struck and dragged under the rear of MTA bus yesterday in Cypress Hills in Brooklyn, New York. The boy was taken to Brookdale Hospital with traumatic injuries to his rib cage and lower body and was later transferred to New York – Presbyterian Columbia Hospital. The bus driver never saw the bicyclist who, according to investigators may have ridden into the back of the bus.

Watch the video 11-Year-Old Boy on Bike Seriously Hurt in MTA Bus Accident

Last year in New York, 40 bicyclists were struck by MTA buses, according to MTA statistics. This is a sad reminder of how dangerous it is for bicyclists to ride near buses. If you or your children ride a bike in the city please make sure to observe the following basic safety rules:

Continue reading →