Truck driver fatally strikes 18-year-old cyclist in Queens.
A truck driver fatally struck an 18-year-old cyclist riding in a protected bike lane at 34th Street and 43rd Avenue in Queens at 7:35 a.m. on Aug. 5, 2024, according to QNS and the official crash record.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
QNS reported that a driver in a 2007 Freightliner box truck turned right and hit the eastbound rider; the official record also lists a right turn but records the truck traveling south, while QNS describes it turning from 43rd Avenue onto 34th Street. QNS reported that emergency medical workers pronounced the cyclist dead at the scene and that the driver stayed as police investigated.
The reports differ on the truck's approach.
QNS reported that a 57-year-old man driving a white 2007 Freightliner box truck turned right from 43rd Avenue onto 34th Street and hit an 18-year-old cyclist traveling east in the protected lane. The official record also lists the truck making a right turn but records it traveling south before the turn. The accounts differ on the truck's approach.
The official record identifies the rider's vehicle as an e-bike and lists the collision time as 7:35 a.m. QNS reported 7:36 a.m. and said emergency medical workers pronounced the rider dead at the scene.
The intersection connects routes toward the Queensboro Bridge.
The crash happened at 34th Street and 43rd Avenue in Queens, near the border of Sunnyside and Long Island City and alongside Sunnyside Yards. Streetsblog reported that the east-west streets serve commuters traveling toward the Queensboro Bridge.
Streetsblog reported that the city installed protected bike lanes on 43rd Avenue and Skillman Avenue in 2018, after another cyclist died five blocks away in 2017.
Police were investigating, and advocates questioned the intersection design.
QNS reported that the driver remained at the scene, no arrests had been made, and the NYPD Highway Collision Investigation Squad was investigating. Streetsblog reported that a police spokesperson initially said no criminality was suspected.
A cyclist who passed the scene told Streetsblog that photos appeared to show the truck stopped mid-turn over concrete barriers. Transportation Alternatives criticized the lane design's lack of raised concrete protection at intersections and called for physical protection for people biking.