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Articles Tagged with queens bicycle accident

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accident sceneA bicyclist died after being struck by a minivan in NYC early Monday morning. The man was riding his bike on the left shoulder of the eastbound Grand Central Parkway near 111th Street in Corona, Queens. At one point he swerved into the traffic. He was hit by a minivan. The cyclist died at the scene of the accident. The driver of the minivan stayed at the scene of the accident. He wasn’t charged.

In New York City, bicycles are prohibited on highways. It is unclear why the bicyclist decided to use the highway. The investigation is ongoing.

Read more in DNA

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schenkman-michaelA bicyclist was fatally struck by a car in NYC. Yesterday morning, 78 year old Michael Schenkman was riding his bike on Northern Boulevard in Bayside, Queens when he was struck by a car. Michael Schenkman was an avid biker and a member of Transportation Alternatives. He was riding his bike every morning for 20 miles. The accident occurred on Northern Boulevard near 223rd Street around 6:30 am. The 25 year old driver of the car stayed at the scene of the accident and so far hasn’t been charged. A picture in the NY Daily News shows that the impact was so strong that the windshield was completely destroyed. In an article in Street Blog, Brad Aaron  suspects that the driver was speeding.

Michael Schenkman is the 16th victim who died in a bicycle accident in New York City this year. The number of bicyclists fatalities is on the rise in the city. Last year during the entire year 14 people died in bicycle accidents.

After yesterday’s accident, Transportation Alternatives released a statement asking the mayor to implement the Vision Zero Initiative to make the streets of New York City safer faster.

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A pedestrian died, a bicyclist was  critically injured and two drivers suffered personal injury in a car accident in New York City. The accident  occurred last Thursday in Queens.  56 year old Irene Lee was driving her Porsche on Horace Harding Expressway service road near the Intersection of Junction Boulevard. She lost control of her car and jumped the curb, hitting a pedestrian and a bicyclist.  She then fled the scene of the accident and hit two other cars waiting at a nearby red light. She then fled away one more time and drove North on Junction. She later had second thoughts and returned to the scene of the accident. The pedestrian, the bicyclist and one of the car drivers were transported to the hospital. The other  car driver  suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene of the crash. The pedestrian, a 21-year-old woman, suffered severe head trauma  and died from her injuries. The bicyclist, a 26 year old woman, was in critical condition.  The driver was in stable condition. Irene Lee was arrested and charged with running a red light and leaving the scene of the accident resulting in death which is a class D felony.

Read in the Gothamist  

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accidents queens blvdBicyclists using the  so called “Boulevard of Death” will soon be protected from dangerous accidents. A controversial protected bike lane will be built on Queens Blvd despite the opposition of the Community Board 4. Last Tuesday night during a contentious meeting of the Queens Community Board 4, its chairman Lou Walker pushed a vote to accept a DOT safety plan to re-design Queens Blvd but without the Bike lane. Walker’s argument was that Queens Blvd was “not a park” .  The day after, Mayor de Blasio announced that despite the vote, the DOT will go ahead with its plan to safely re-design Queens Blvd including the protected bike lane. “I respect those who disagree with us, but in the end, the safety of our neighbors and our children is the most fundamental responsibility we have in this work,” de Blasio said in a statement released this afternoon. “Today, I have instructed the Department of Transportation to move forward on the next phase of safety enhancements to Queens Boulevard, including a protected lane for cyclists.”

Queens Boulevard is infamously nicknamed Boulevard of Death because it is one of the most dangerous streets in New York City. As part of the Vision Zero initiative the Boulevard will be completely redesigned by the end of 2017. The project is divided into 3 parts. The first part was completed last year between Roosevelt Ave and 74th Street. It included Queen’s Boulevard’s first bike lane. The second part of the project is the one that was partially opposed by CB4 on Tuesday night but pushed through  by de Blasio. In this phase, a protected bike lane will be installed on Queens Blvd between 74th Street and Elliott Ave. In this section of Queens Blvd. from 2010 to 2014 777 people were injured (including 42 severely) and 5 people died in traffic accidents.   In its PDF presentation, the DOT estimates that 250 people ride their bikes every day on this part of Queens Blvd. When the bike lane will be installed there is a good chance that this number will increase as people will feel safer using their bikes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSKGbSTvUEA

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A 34 year old woman died in a NYC accident involving a truck and a bicycle. The woman was riding her bike west on  56th Road near 46th Street in Maspeth, Queens yesterday morning around 8:45 when she was hit by a truck. She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and died shortly after.  The driver who’s license was suspended was taken into custody. Charges are pending. Read more in the NY Daily News

56th Road

56th Road near 46th Street doesn’t offer much protection to bicyclists, Picture: Google map

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A  19 year old was  seriously injured in a bicycle accident Monday early morning in Queens. The young man was riding on the eastbound bicycle lane along 34th street in Corona when he was struck by a truck turning right onto 105th street. The accident happened at night around 1:15 am. The truck driver stayed at the scene of the accident and wasn’t charged. The teenager was transported to the hospital where he is being treated for a severe leg injury. Read more in the NY Post

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The intersection where the collision between the bicyclist and the truck happened. Picture courtesy of Google Map

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A drunk driver hit a bicyclist yesterday afternoon in Queens, NYC, sending him to the hospital in critical condition. The bicycle accident happened yesterday afternoon around 3:15 pm. The bicyclist was riding down Queens Plaza North near 29th St. in Long Island City when he was hit by a 35 year old drunk driver. The driver is expected to be charged with driving under the influence. Read more in the NY Daily News

In New York State, 3,752 people died in crashes involving a drunk driver between 2003 and 2012.

Drunk driving in New York

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Report a potholeA New York bicyclist suffered severe personal injury after he hit a pothole and impaled his neck on a nearby fence. The man in his forties was riding his bike near Stockholm Street and Woodward Ave in Ridgewood, Queens, NYC, when the bicycle accident happened. The man hit the pothole and fell off the bike, hitting his head on the ground. He then tried to stand up but stumbled on a metallic fence on which he impaled his neck. The fence went all the way through his neck. When the EMS arrived they had to cut part of the fence to be able to treat the bicyclist. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

Several cyclists interviewed by the NY Daily News were aware of the pothole and said the bicycle accident could have been avoided if the city was more proactive in repairing the potholes.  We can only hope that these cyclists were proactive as well and had previously taken a picture of the pothole and reported it to the City so that this bicyclist stands a chance to be compensated by the City for his gruesome injuries.  In New York, most pothole cases can only be won if the City had “written notice of the defect” before the accident occurred. If you are a bicyclist or a pedestrian in New York City and you notice a pothole, snap a pic and report it! It doesn’t take long and it may cause repair and protect a bicyclist in the future.

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An 88 year old man was severely injured in a bicycle accident yesterday afternoon in the Queens, NYC. The accident happened on  131st Street near Rockaway Blvd in South Ozone Park in the middle of the afternoon. A blue sedan hit the cyclist and sped away. The elderly man was taken to the hospital in critical conditions.

Read more in the NY Daily News