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Cyclist Dies After Being Struck By SUV Driver In Queens
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 14, 2019
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By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 14, 2019
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A 65-year-old cyclist was killed in Queens after being struck by the driver of a SUV, marking the 25th bike-related fatality this year.
Police said Bogdan Darmetko was cycling northbound on Cross Bay Boulevard in Broad Channel at around 2 p.m. Sunday. As he tried to make a left turn, he was hit by the 32-year-old driver of a Ford SUV.
Cross Bay Boulevard has bike lanes on both sides. There is no stoplight.
Darmetko was taken to St. John's Hospital where he was pronounced dead. According to police, the driver remained at the scene. The incident is currently under investigation.
“The guy was not responding,” Broad Channel resident Matt Miner told the Daily News “People were saying he didn’t have a pulse. His eyes were just staring lifelessly, you know — empty. His neck was completely, like unnaturally, cockeyed.”
Miner, who posted photos of the incident on Twitter, said the community has for years been calling on the city to install a stoplight at Cross Bay Boulevard.
Streetsblog notes that since January 2016, there have been 273 crashes on the roadway, resulting in injuries to eight cyclists, four pedestrians and 82 motorists. Last year alone, there were 68 crashes, injuring three cyclists and 22 motorists.
The narrow mile-long neighborhood in Jamaica Bay, which is near a wildlife refuge, has long been a scenic draw for cyclists.
According to Transportation Alternatives, 2019 is on track to be the deadliest year for cyclists since 1999.
"For years, residents and activists have been demanding protected bike lanes and design changes along the Cross Bay Boulevard due to a series of traffic deaths and serious injuries along the notoriously dangerous road," said Danny Harris, the executive director of Transportation Alternatives, in a statement. "As our city struggles with a preventable public health crisis on our streets, made more dangerous by the proliferation of SUVs by car manufacturers, the mayor must fight for the safety of all New Yorkers by accelerating implementation of his signature Vision Zero program, specifically the Green Wave bicycling safety plan. Moreover we urge the New York City Council to pass, and the Mayor to sign, Speaker Johnson’s Streets Master Plan bill on October 30th—a bill that will standardize the type of street treatments, including protected bike lanes, which will save countless lives.”
UPDATE: The story has been corrected to state that 2019 is on track to be the deadliest year for cyclists since 1999, not a decade.
Tagged
cyclist death
vision zero
broad channel
queens
collision investigation squad
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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