Bicyclist fatally injured on Elmhurst street with reported pavement damage
Lin Wen-Chiang, 77, was fatally injured in a crash recorded on Feb. 24, 2022, on 40th Drive, where Streetsblog reported caved-in pavement and repeated repair complaints.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Lin Wen-Chiang, 77, was fatally injured in a bicycle crash on 40th Drive; the official record dates the crash to Feb. 24, 2022, at 10:15 p.m. and lists defective pavement as a contributing factor. QNS, citing police, described an object in the road and reported a time of about 11:15 p.m.; Streetsblog described an obstruction and later attributed the fall to caved-in pavement amid earlier repair complaints.
Reports differ on the time and describe the fall
The official crash record logs one cyclist killed on 40 Drive at 10:15 p.m. on Feb. 24, 2022. QNS, citing police, reported a time of about 11:15 p.m. and said Wen-Chiang hit an object in the roadway, fell and suffered head injuries.
The initial Streetsblog report, also citing NYPD, said Wen-Chiang was traveling west and fell after riding over a road obstruction. QNS reported that he was taken to NYC Health and Hospitals/Elmhurst and pronounced dead there; Streetsblog described the fall as fatal but did not state where he was pronounced dead.
The block had a history of repair complaints
The official record places the crash on 40 Drive; QNS located it near 95th Street, and Streetsblog placed the damaged pavement on the block between 94th and 95th streets, near 94-22 40th Drive.
Streetsblog reported eight Department of Transportation complaints since October 2019, including reports of a cave-in and a Feb. 18, 2022, complaint about a failed street repair, six days before the crash.
Wen-Chiang lived in Corona and was active at a nearby church
QNS identified Wen-Chiang as a 77-year-old Corona resident. A man who answered the door at his building told Streetsblog that Wen-Chiang had no family in the United States and was active in a nearby church; he declined to name the church.
Reports identify different descriptions of the roadway hazard
QNS, citing police, described an object in the roadway; Streetsblog's first report called it a road obstruction, while a later report attributed the fall to caved-in pavement. The official record lists defective pavement as a contributing factor.
Workers repaired the roadway after the fall
Streetsblog reported seeing fresh paving material on the block on Sunday and quoted a resident who said city workers repaired it shortly after Wen-Chiang fell. The outlet said a plate marked DEP suggested the Department of Environmental Protection made the repair.
QNS reported that the NYPD Highway District Collision Investigation Squad was investigating. Streetsblog quoted Department of Transportation spokesman Vin Barone: "This is a tragedy and an investigation is underway."