Truck Driver and Cyclist in Fatal Parkside Avenue Crash
Saeed Ahmed and Kala Santiago were both traveling east on Parkside Avenue near Parade Place around 7 a.m. before Santiago died at the scene; the city recorded one cyclist killed in a crash involving a tractor-trailer driver, a bike rider and a parked flatbed.
What We Know
Kala Santiago, 25, was riding east on Parkside Avenue near Parade Place around 7 a.m. on Oct. 12, 2022, when she died in a crash involving Saeed Ahmed, a tractor-trailer driver. City crash data records one cyclist killed, no other injuries, and lists improper passing or lane use as a contributing factor. Streetsblog reported that Ahmed remained at the scene and was not immediately charged; amNY also reported no arrests. Accounts differed on the sequence: amNY reported that Santiago lost control and fell into the road, while Streetsblog said Ahmed claimed she may have hit a parked vehicle as he moved to pass, and that a later NYPD release did not assign blame.
A 7 a.m. crash on Parkside Avenue
The city crash record says one bicyclist, a 25-year-old woman, was killed at about 7 a.m. on Oct. 12, 2022, on Parkside Avenue. The record lists a tractor-trailer driver traveling east, a bike rider traveling east and an unoccupied flatbed that was parked.
Streetsblog identified the bicyclist as Kala Santiago and the truck driver as Saeed Ahmed. Both Streetsblog and amNY reported that paramedics pronounced Santiago dead at the scene.
Accounts differed on the sequence
City data recorded improper passing or lane use as a contributing factor. The bike entry also recorded improper passing or lane use and driver inexperience.
amNY reported that Santiago lost control of the bike and fell into the road. Streetsblog reported that Ahmed claimed Santiago may have hit a parked car as he moved to pass, while a later NYPD release described both people as traveling east and did not assign blame.
A narrow corridor near Prospect Park
The crash happened on Parkside Avenue near Parade Place, close to Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
Streetsblog reported that Parkside Avenue is not a designated truck route, though it is surrounded by truck routes, and that residents said large trucks often use the corridor. The outlet also noted that the city had added a road diet and protected bike lane between Ocean and Coney Island avenues, and cited city stats showing reported crashes on a four-block Parkside segment fell from 55 in 2019 to 23 in 2021.
The driver remained at the scene
amNY reported that the truck driver remained at the scene and that no arrests had been made at the time of publication. Streetsblog reported that Ahmed was not immediately charged and said police released him with no tickets.