Cyclist killed in crash involving tow truck driver on Bruckner Boulevard
A tow truck driver and cyclist Carlos Martinez were traveling north when they were involved in a fatal crash at Bruckner Boulevard and East 136th Street at 12:56 p.m. on May 26, 2022; reports differ on how Martinez came beneath a truck being towed.
Approximate reported location.
What We Know
On May 26, 2022, a tow truck driver and cyclist Carlos Martinez were traveling north on Bruckner Boulevard near East 136th Street when a fatal crash occurred. Police told Streetsblog that Martinez fell beneath the front driver-side tire of a truck being towed; Streetsblog said video instead showed the passing driver squeezing him, while El Diario described an apparent fall near a construction steel plate. Both articles reported that Martinez died at Lincoln Hospital.
Accounts differ on how Martinez came beneath the truck
Police told Streetsblog that, as the tow truck driver passed alongside, Martinez fell beneath the front driver-side tire of a truck being towed.
Streetsblog said video showed Martinez did not fall and described the passing driver as squeezing him. El Diario separately reported that Martinez apparently fell to his left while riding over a large steel plate, then ended beneath the front wheels of a truck being towed. The accounts do not establish one agreed sequence.
The official record lists the bike and tow truck as traveling north and going straight. It records one cyclist killed and no other injuries.
Construction narrowed the roadway
The crash occurred at Bruckner Boulevard and East 136th Street, near Mott Haven in the South Bronx. Streetsblog reported that a Con Ed crew left barricades along the far-right portion of the roadway, narrowing it. El Diario also described Con Edison construction and a large steel plate in the street.
Martinez rode to work in Hunts Point
Streetsblog reported that Martinez lived in East Harlem; El Diario said he rode from his home in Harlem to work in Hunts Point. El Diario identified his wife, Sandra Suro, who described him as an experienced cyclist and said the construction work must have played a role in his death.
The official record lists Martinez as 52, while both articles identified him as 53. Both articles reported that he died at Lincoln Hospital.
The record and reporting offer different explanations
The official record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor for the tow truck driver. Streetsblog attributed the crash to construction-related narrowing and its interpretation of video; Suro separately said construction must have played a role. Those are attributed accounts, not additional findings in the official record.