Cyclist killed in tractor trailer truck accident in Brooklyn, NYC
Another cyclist was fatally struck by a tractor trailer in NYC on Wednesday. The tractor trailer was on a non truck route. The victim was identified as 25 year old Kala Santiago, a mother of 2 children, 2months and 1 and half year old. She was on her way to work and was riding her bicycle on Parkside Avenue near Parade Place in the vicinity of Prospect Park when the fatal accident occurred.
Truck driver blames the victim even though he failed to yield to her
So far the police did not charge the truck driver who was identified as Saeed Ahmed. He told the police that the cyclist fell under his truck after she hit a vehicle parked on the side of the road. He also said he saw the cyclist in front of him and she seemed nervous. The driver also told Liam Quigley from the NY Daily News (see twitter post below) that he saw the cyclist and overtook her but stopped as soon as he saw she fell under the wheels of the truck. Pictures of the accident seemed to indicate that Kala Santiago might have been crushed between a parked truck on the right side and the tractor trailer on her left side. Another surveillance video shows that the tractor trailer failed to yield to her and overpassed her with oncoming traffic in the other direction. As a result there was not enough space and the cyclist might have been crushed between the two trucks.
Not a truck route
While Parkside Avenue was redesigned last year to add a protected bike lane between Ocean Avenue and Coney Island Avenue, it is often jammed with big rigs that are endangering residents, as well as cyclists and pedestrians that are coming in and out of nearby Prospect Park.
A similar type of bicycle accident occurred a few months ago. On July 29th a 28 year old woman riding a Citibike was fatally struck by a tractor trailer driving on 85th Street between Madison and Park Avenue, a residential street that is not on the truck routes (See previous blog).
Read more in Streetblog
The driver tells me he saw the bicyclist and overtook her, but stopped as soon as she saw her fall beneath the wheels of his truck. Said he usually drives in NJ but does sometimes use this street. pic.twitter.com/tzAqFI6UFd
— Liam Quigley (@_elkue) October 12, 2022