Man thrown from scooter and killed after hitting pothole in Ozone Park
OZONE PARK, Queens (WABC) -- A 46-year-old man fell to his death after hitting a pothole while riding a motorized scooter in Ozone Park, Queens on Monday night, authorities said.
The man was riding the stand-up motorized scooter eastbound on Liberty Avenue when he struck a pothole at around 9:30 p.m.
He was thrown from the scooter on impact and was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital.
After police investigated the fatal crash, crews arrived to fill in the pothole.
It is unknown how long the pothole had been there. Winter weather conditions and patterns of freezing and thawing can expand and break pavement, leading to new potholes on city streets.
Friends and family built a memorial near the site, lighting candles to remember their loved one.
A spokesperson with NYC DOT released the following statement:
"This is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts are with the victim of this crash and his family. NYC DOT has crews working around the clock across the five boroughs to fill potholes and make emergency roadway repairs-with more than 10,000 potholes filled in just the last week alone, and plans to resurface more than 1,100 lane miles this year."
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