Cyclist struck, killed by box truck in Brooklyn
EAST WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A 41-year-old cyclist was fatally struck by a box truck in Brooklyn on Thursday afternoon, marking the first person killed while biking in New York City in 2020.
The incident was reported on Vandervoort Avenue just before 3 p.m.
Police arrived to the scene and discovered the victim unconscious and unresponsive on the pavement.
The victim, later identified as Pedro Lopez, was taken to Woodhull Hospital with head injuries where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities say the driver of the box truck, a 54-year-old man, remained on the scene.
Investigators believe he was making a U-turn when he struck Lopez.
Police say his vehicle continued onto the curb and struck multiple other parked vehicles.
No criminality is suspected at this time but the investigation is ongoing.
Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris released a statement that said in part:
"Like the streets where most fatal cycling crashes occur, Vandervoort Avenue prioritizes traffic over human life. Since Vision Zero was launched in 2014, 10 cyclists and 10 pedestrians have been injured on the short stretch of Vandervoort Avenue between Grand Street and Maspeth Avenue. Last year, a pedestrian and a motorist were killed in separate crashes at the intersection of Maspeth and Vandervoort, just a block from where this cyclist was killed today."
Harris went on to say that every New Yorker should be able to walk and bike in the city without fear of death or serious injury, and urged Mayor Bill de Blasio to take action.
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