Bicyclist fatally struck by truck after hitting open car door, falling into Queens roadway
LONG ISLAND CITY, Queens (WABC) -- A bicyclist is dead after police say he first crashed into the open door of a car in Queens and was then run over by a box truck.
His parents are now speaking out about the accident in an exclusive interview with Eyewitness News.
It happened just before 3 p.m. Tuesday at 21st Street and 46th Avenue in Long Island City.
Authorities say 45-year-old Aaron Padwee was riding a bicycle northbound on 21st Street when the driver of a parked car opened the door towards the roadway, and the victim struck it.
He reportedly fell off of the bicycle and into the roadway, where he was run over by a white box truck.
The victim was rushed to Booth Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Both drivers remained at the scene. Padwee was cycling home from work when the accident happened.
His family said Aaron was killed instantly. He was not wearing a helmet but his parents say they were told it would have made no difference because of the severity of the impact.
They do not fault the trucker, but say the woman who opened her door, apparently without looking, should be held accountable.
"The person who doored Aaron with the car door, I now know that that's illegal but the police did nothing about that," said the victim's father, Michael Padwee. "You have to look to see if anyone's coming and obviously a person didn't."
The operator of the box truck was taken into custody for not having a valid driver's license.
The NYPD referred the case to the Queens District Attorney's office. City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer said the Queens DA declined to file any charges against the motorist who flung open her door.
He says that is a mistake. "We cannot allow folks who operate motor vehicles recklessly to simply walk away and say I'm sorry," said Van Bramer.
Last year nearly 4400 cyclists were injured in motor vehicle accidents in New York City, an increase of roughly 12 percent since 2013. 24 cyclists were killed, a number that's doubled in just five years.
Aaron Padwee was a union carpenter who worked on movies and TV shows, and who loved traveling and photography.
"We think he lived his life right to the hilt every day and he was very happy doing that," his father said.
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