Truck driver killed cyclist Adam Uster in Brooklyn right turn
A truck driver making a right turn at Franklin Avenue and Lexington Avenue in Brooklyn hit southbound cyclist Adam Uster on May 1, 2023; the official record listed failure to yield, and Gothamist reported he died at New York Presbyterian.
What We Know
Adam Uster, a 39-year-old Crown Heights resident, was riding south on Franklin Avenue on the morning of May 1, 2023, when a truck driver making a right turn at Lexington Avenue hit him. The city crash record listed failure to yield right-of-way and recorded one bicyclist killed. Gothamist reported that Uster was taken to New York Presbyterian, where he was pronounced dead, and that friends, family and street-safety advocates later gathered at the corner for a vigil and ghost bike installation. The city record described the other vehicle as a dump truck; Gothamist, citing police and video obtained by Streetsblog, described a 2021 Isuzu flat-bed truck.
The turn at Franklin and Lexington
The official crash record places the collision at Franklin Avenue and Lexington Avenue in Brooklyn at 11:32 a.m. on May 1, 2023. It records the bicyclist traveling south and the truck driver traveling south before making a right turn.
Gothamist reported that Adam Uster was riding south on Franklin Avenue when the driver hit him while turning right at Lexington Avenue. The outlet reported that Uster was taken to New York Presbyterian and pronounced dead there.
Sources described the truck differently
The city crash record listed the driver’s vehicle type as a dump truck and the make as a 2021 Isuzu truck/bus entry. Gothamist, citing police and video obtained by Streetsblog, described the driver as operating a 2021 Isuzu flat-bed truck.
Friends and family remembered Adam Uster as a cyclist and advocate
Gothamist identified Uster as a 39-year-old Crown Heights resident, longtime cyclist and member of Transportation Alternatives. At a vigil, his wife, Frederique Uster-Hug, said biking had been central to his life and pleaded for street-safety changes.
Friends described Uster as altruistic, a great friend and a loving father. Several told Gothamist that he had encouraged them to start riding bikes.
A ghost bike vigil renewed calls for safer streets
Dozens of family members, friends and street-safety advocates gathered at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Lexington Avenue for a vigil and ghost bike installation. Gothamist reported that Transportation Alternatives helped plan the event, and its executive director, Danny Harris, called on city officials to deliver street-safety improvements.
Franklin Avenue has seen repeated harm
The crash happened at Franklin Avenue and Lexington Avenue in Brooklyn. CrashCountNYC’s location context for Franklin Avenue in Brooklyn counts 745 crashes, 422 injuries, 22 serious injuries and 3 deaths since 2022.