Truck driver turning in Astoria kills cyclist at 24th Avenue and 29th Street.
A 48-year-old truck driver making a right turn hit cyclist Tamara Chuchi Kao at 24th Avenue and 29th Street in Queens on January 5, 2023, at 5:04 p.m., killing one person, according to the crash record and police accounts reported by Streetsblog.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police told Streetsblog that the driver turned right from 24th Avenue onto 29th Street and hit Kao as she rode east; NY1 reported investigators' account that she was continuing along the avenue as the driver turned after a signal change. Streetsblog reported that the driver remained at the scene, while a witness told NY1 he continued after turning until someone stopped him. Residents had sought safer streets for years, and the city said it would add a signal change and discuss potential protected bike lanes.
Reports differ on the vehicle and its approach.
The official record identifies a concrete mixer and a bicycle, describes the mixer as traveling southeast and records it making a right turn. Streetsblog called it a cement truck, while NY1 called it a cement mixer; both outlets reported that the driver was heading east on 24th Avenue.
Streetsblog reported police said the driver hit Kao while turning from 24th Avenue onto 29th Street. NY1 attributed to investigators an account in which the driver turned after the light changed as Kao tried to continue east on the avenue.
Kao lived nearby.
Streetsblog identified the cyclist as Tamara Chuchi Kao, 62, a local resident, and reported that she died at the scene, less than a mile from her home near 30th Avenue and Crescent Street.
The intersection had no bike lanes.
The crash happened at 24th Avenue and 29th Street in Astoria, Queens. Streetsblog reported that neither street had a bike lane at the intersection.
Streetsblog described 24th Avenue as a designated truck route and reported that drivers use 29th Street to reach the RFK Bridge, I-278 and Astoria Boulevard.
Officials promised safety changes.
Streetsblog reported that residents and elected officials had sought safety improvements on 24th Avenue since at least 2019. The outlet said the city would add leading pedestrian interval timing at the intersection and discuss potential protected bike lanes with residents.
Streetsblog reported that police did not suspect criminality and said the driver remained at the scene. NY1 quoted witness Manny Katav, who said the driver continued after turning until someone across the street stopped him.