Left-turning driver involved in fatal Brooklyn e-bike crash
A driver making a left turn was involved in the crash that killed 55-year-old e-bike rider Peter Costello at Fourth Avenue and 21st Street in Brooklyn at 1:14 p.m. on May 6, 2022; Patch reported that police said Costello's brakes locked before the collision.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
At 1:14 p.m. on May 6, 2022, a driver turning left at Fourth Avenue and 21st Street was involved in a crash that killed 55-year-old Peter Costello. Patch and NY1 reported police accounts that Costello's brakes locked, but described what happened next differently: Patch said he slid underneath the turning van, while NY1 said he was flung onto the road and then hit by a driver in a white van. The crash record lists traffic-control disregard for the Ford driver, but classifies the vehicle as a station wagon or SUV; Patch calls it a Ford Econoline van.
Police accounts differ on how the crash unfolded.
Patch reported that police said Costello's brakes locked and he slid underneath a 2006 Ford Econoline van as its driver turned left onto 21st Street. NY1's police account said his brakes locked and he was flung onto the road before a driver in a white van hit him. The accounts describe the sequence differently.
The crash record lists the Ford driver as traveling south and making a left turn, and the e-bike as traveling north. It lists traffic-control disregard as a contributing factor for the Ford driver.
A turn restriction was posted at the intersection.
The crash happened at Fourth Avenue and 21st Street in Brooklyn. NY1 reported that a large sign at the intersection prohibited left turns.
Reports describe the Ford differently.
The crash record identifies a 2006 Ford classified as a station wagon or sport utility vehicle. Patch identifies a 2006 Ford Econoline van, while NY1 describes a white van.
The record identifies Costello as riding an e-bike. Patch gives the model as a 2021 Zhejiang Jiajue; NY1 calls it a motorized bike.
Costello was taken to Methodist Hospital.
Patch identified the rider as Peter Costello, 55, and reported that responders took him to Methodist Hospital with head and body injuries; doctors were unable to save him. NY1 reported that first responders performed CPR.
Patch reported that the 37-year-old driver stayed at the scene and had not faced charges as of the morning of May 9. NY1 reported that no arrests had been made and that the NYPD's Collision Investigation Squad was investigating.