Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Marilyn Dershowitz Killed By 7-Ton Truck In Cycling Accident
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 3, 2011
Modified Jul 3, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 3, 2011
Modified Jul 3, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Marilyn Dershowitz, sister-in-law to famed attorney Alan Dershowitz, was killed in a cycling accident yesterday afternoon as she rode through a dark stretch of road underneath a US Mail sorting plant. The 68-year-old was riding behind her husband Nathan Dershowitz, who told DNAinfo, "She waited for the light and I made the light and was riding slowly. When she didn't come, I saw her down and people around her." She was hit by a 7-ton truck, and though she was wearing a helmet, died shortly after being transported to Bellevue Hospital. The driver of the truck, a postal employee for 24 years, was unaware that he hit anyone until authorities tracked him down.
The accident occurred near the intersection of W. 29th and 9th Avenue in Manhattan. Dershowitz, who was a special referee at the Manhattan Supreme Court until retiring six months ago, was apparently riding with traffic, the mail truck on her left. Another car was driving to the left of the truck, and as the truck moved right to avoid the car, struck Dershowitz. "He heard a thump, but he thought it was a bump or a crate. At one point, he thought the car hit him," a source close to the authorities said.
No charges have been filed in the case, and a spokesman for the Postal service said, "The postal police, along with the NYPD are continuing to investigate this matter to determine the culpability of the driver." Dershowitz, who notably worked on the "Dr. Boom" case of a doctor who blew up his Upper East Side townhouse in a suicide attempt, will be missed. "She was lovely lady and they were a lovely couple," her doorman of 11 years said, "She was a big part of the community...She was always happy."
Tagged
alan dershowitz
bike accident
bike fatality
bike lanes
bikes
manhattan
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .