Box-Truck Driver Fatally Hits Teen Rider in Sunnyside
A 57-year-old box-truck driver fatally hit an 18-year-old e-bike rider while turning at 34th Street and 43rd Avenue in Sunnyside on August 5, 2024; police said the rider was in a protected bike lane.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
On the morning of August 5, 2024, a 57-year-old driver in a white 2007 Freightliner box truck turned right from 43rd Avenue onto 34th Street in Sunnyside and hit an 18-year-old rider traveling east in the avenue's protected bike lane, police told QNS. City records identify the rider's cycle as an e-bike. The rider was thrown to the street and suffered head trauma; medics pronounced him dead at the scene. The driver stayed, and police said on August 7 that no arrests had been made as the Highway Collision Investigation Squad continued its investigation.
The right turn
Police told QNS that the rider was traveling east in the protected bike lane on 43rd Avenue when the 57-year-old driver turned a white 2007 Freightliner box truck right onto 34th Street. The driver hit the rider with the front right portion of the cab, throwing him to the roadway.
The 18-year-old rider suffered head trauma. Police found him unconscious at the intersection, and responding medics pronounced him dead at the scene. City crash records identify his cycle as an e-bike.
A protected lane in Sunnyside
The crash happened at 34th Street and 43rd Avenue in Sunnyside, Queens, in a warehouse district alongside the Sunnyside Yards. QNS reported that the rider was in the protected bike lane on 43rd Avenue when the driver turned.
The investigation
The driver remained at the scene. As of August 7, police had reported no arrests and said the NYPD Highway Collision Investigation Squad was investigating.