An FDNY driver fatally struck a cyclist in Park Slope.
Safer Work
An FDNY driver responding to a report of a choking baby struck and killed cyclist Victor Hidalgo at Fourth Avenue and Sackett Street on Oct. 30; the city record lists one cyclist killed and the crash time as 8:11 p.m.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Audacy reported that police investigators said a 44-year-old driver in a marked FDNY pickup was traveling north on Fourth Avenue with emergency lights on when he struck 24-year-old Victor Hidalgo, who was riding east on Sackett Street. FDNY officials said the driver was responding to a report of a baby choking. The city record lists the crash at 8:11 p.m. on Oct. 30 and counts one cyclist killed and one motorist injured; Audacy and Brooklyn Paper placed it at about 8:15 p.m. Reports differed over whether the siren was activated and whether the FDNY vehicle was a pickup or a fire truck.
The driver was responding to an emergency.
Audacy reported that police investigators said a 44-year-old driver in a marked FDNY pickup was traveling north on Fourth Avenue with emergency lights on when he struck Victor Hidalgo, who was riding east on Sackett Street. FDNY officials said the driver was responding to a report of a baby choking.
The city record dates the crash to Oct. 30 at 8:11 p.m. and counts one cyclist killed and one motorist injured. Audacy and Brooklyn Paper placed the crash at about 8:15 p.m.
Sackett Street's painted bike lane shares space with traffic.
The crash happened at Fourth Avenue and Sackett Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Brooklyn Paper reported that Sackett Street's painted bike lane overlaps the vehicle traffic lane and has no physical separation.
Hidalgo was a delivery worker with family in Mexico.
Victor Hidalgo, 24, was a Bronx resident. Brooklyn Paper, citing Streetsblog, reported that he worked as a delivery worker and that his wife and 1-year-old son lived in Mexico, his native country.
Reports differ on the vehicle type and warning signals.
The city record classifies an involved vehicle as a pickup truck. Audacy and Brooklyn Paper describe the FDNY vehicle as a pickup, while Patch calls it a fire truck. The record classifies Hidalgo's vehicle as an e-bike, and Audacy describes it as an electric bicycle; other reports use the broader term bicycle.
Audacy and Brooklyn Paper reported that emergency lights were on. Patch, citing police, said the siren was on; Brooklyn Paper said it was not immediately clear whether a siren had been activated or whether the driver had a green light.
The driver stayed at the scene as the investigation continued.
News 12 reported that the driver remained at the scene and that no charges had been filed as of Thursday evening. The outlet said the FDNY described the cause of the crash as under investigation.