July 24, 2018 By Tara Law
A 22-year-old cyclist is in critical condition after being hit by a van on 35th Street in Astoria last night.
The cyclist, an Astoria resident, was riding her bicycle east on 35th Street in a marked bike lane at around 11:06 p.m. when she was struck.
The cyclist ran a red light at the 23rd Avenue intersection when she was hit by a van, police say.
Emergency responders found the cyclist lying on the road with trauma to her head and legs. She was taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where she is in critical condition.
Police say that the driver, a 28-year-old man, remained on the scene. No charges have been filed.
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All these bike deaths and injuries started occurring after Bloomberg decided it was safer to have children and adults ride their bicycles on the street with cars and trucks than on the sidewalk like they always did in the past. Why? So he can make bike lanes which creates even more traffic and force people to use the subway more so they make more money. Hope is it logical to have a child ride their bikes in a street with trucks and cars and people opening doors when they park? Idiots!
Yes,she was taken from life support this morning..so sad…wonderful girl…
According to the driver’s statement,she was the one hit the side of the Van,if she did ..she wont get that severe injury..and probably she won’t die from it.. the point is ,the driver is defensive…since nobody saw it..he just told the police that the girl was the one hit his Van..hope there will be further investigation because of the severity of the injury…broken left leg,hips,jaw and the head..
RIP sweetie…we will be working on your case..
Everybody is blaming the driver like they were there and witnessed that. People with bikes and people walking NEVER stop for the light, they don’t mind crossing the streets even when the light isn’t green for them. I’m 100% positive that each one that asking for a prove and blaming the driver in the comments DOES NOT respect the rules and DOES NOT wait for no lights. I’m not against the young lady but come on people let’s be fair and think about it the other way around, you don’t know neither one of them so why you taking sides when you weren’t there. 99% the driver could’ve been in the hospital too if his car wheels flipped out, and all of you would’ve been blaming the girl for not stopping for the light. DO NOT JUDGE IF YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT HAPPENED. Hopefully the girl have a speed recovery. Best of luck for both of them
Respect the rules? The #1 rule of driving is yield for pedestrians on bike or on foot whether you have a light or not you are still operating a 2000 pound machine and have to be responsible.
Wait. But it’s okay for you to judge? What a hypocrite.
What if that was your kid! And trust me I don’t care if you are an olimpian you cannot go that fast on a bicycle to sustain injuries that bad. And if this guy did not blow the light with the van what kind of dragster was he driving??!??!!As a driver you are an educated operator! Everyone seems to be getting they’re drivers licenses the same way you get a metrocard ??
and what if you were the driver?
The poor kid has died. Very sad and tragic
She was very nice and amazing i cant bleave this Rest in peace my friend
Did she die ?
Did she die ?
Yes. Will be attending services for the young woman
You must be a true friend because you wrote this well before it hit the news. So sorry for your loss. Very disturbing how your comment can be “down-thumb” Its more of a reflection of those people down-thumbing than your comment.
Yes. Lots of russian trolls on this site for some reason. Very sad indeed that she has died. RIP.
CouncilMember Costa would only bobblehead if Mayor DeBlowsio was around with press.
Would love to see some evidence that she ran the red light before it gets reported as fact. And no, what the police say generally is not proof – not even admissible in court – as they typically witnessed nothing and are merely relaying the word of the surviving/conscious driver, who of course has every reason to blame the cyclist. Is there video? An eyewitness? If not then this should be written as “Police report that the driver claims the cyclist ran the red light.” Or better yet, simply say the cause of the crash is under investigation.
You seem bias, would you feel the same way if they wrote it was the van that took the light? Regardless best wishes and a speedy recovery to the young women.
The NYPD has a history of falsely claiming cyclists ran red lights in accidents and not the other way around.
@Jenastoriat: you’re obviously missing the point with your hyperbolic statement.
In anycase, the idea is that a government in any form can not prevent people from being careless and making decisions… No matter how many signs/lights or lack of signs/lights. You’re forgetting people have a choice regardless if it’s monarchy, communism or libertarianism. The government can not nanny the People no matter how hard they sell it.
That whole area is unsafe for everyone whether you bike, drive or walk it. Too many parked cars at no standing/ stopping zones. Cars constantly parked on the sidewalk. Cars going through most of the sidewalk to get to the market parking space. The souvlaki guy on the corner who parks his vehicle on the sidewalk. Bikes trying to avoid cars. People parking in the middle of the road by the Amtrak pillars. Something was done about the dangers on 33 street and 23 ave and now i think 35 St. and 23 avenue needs some changes.
I am aware of this case.. It is not good news
There is zero valid evidence that this cyclist ran a red light. That should not be included in this story unless proven.
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2018/07/25/citing-no-evidence-nypd-claims-critically-injured-astoria-cyclist-ran-red/
Cars and bikes speed through that area all the time. Its a mess!
Article mentions that the cyclist ran a red light and at night.
I see this all the time in Astoria, cyclist and runners running lights and stop signs.
I believe that I know this intersection and this intersection is dark has steel girders descending down from above ending smack in the middle of 23rd Avenue. This obstructs drivers view of traffic.
As a cyclist and an automobile driver I must say that it appears to me that cyclists and runners feel that they are privilege, above the law in not obeying the law. This cyclist
put herself in danger as well as the automobile driver and passengers in danger and
any pedestrians in danger as well in running the red light.
I wonder if she was using earbuds and if she was following the law by having lights and reflectors correctly placed on her bike and if she was wearing a helmet or not.
The mayor and his officials have come down hard on motor vehicle drivers but refuses
to see, to understand that many cyclists, joggers, and pedestrians alike are not obeying the law. When I was young, back in the 1960s a public service commercial told pedestrians to “Cross at the green and not in between, warning pedestrians not to jaywalk.,
that it is dangerous to do so.
Not only are people constantly popping out into traffic from between parked cars in the dead of night they do so with earbuds on and looking down into their electronic devices.
Unless he was speeding I feel sorry for the driver.
You feel sorry for the driver of the car, who is not in the hospital? You are an asshole.
agreed. she is now brain dead. i hate everyone in these comments. im in tears.
the most beautifully innocent being of astoria, taken. A story ended too soon.
Having empathy for the driver of a vehicle that was involved in an accident that left someone seriously injured makes lieutenantdan an asshole? You’re fucked up dude.
I agree. I wrote Councilmember Costa Constantinides about the scooters and got a canned reply. “yes we hear you. yes we are working with the 114th precinct. blah blah blah” This poor woman-I hope she survives
Cyclists and delivery people who ride those motorized scooters seem to think they are invincible and road rules don’t apply to them. I’ve been nearly hit numerous times because of this. I hope this young lady recovers but please let this be a lesson to everyone to follow the rules of the road no matter what type of vehicle you’re in!
Gotta be careful if you run red lights with your bicycle – you are as vulnerable as a jaywalking pedestrian.
I hope she heals soon.
Someone was killed near this area last year trying to cross the street. That is a very dangerous street especially with that sidewalk parking lot from that Greek market. The city should do something about that area ASAP.
No! The gov’t doesn’t need to help people protect themselves. No matter how much random signs and alerts NYC gov’t can not prevent bad decisions. THIS is why Liberty exists; you’re able to make choices to be great as well as choices that aren’t great. Stop with the Nanny state! You’re looking to a bunch a power-hungry-psychopaths for help? Enough! Only when a *free* society exists can a society prosper.
So you are advocating for removing traffic lights from Astoria streets, eh comrade?
is the speed camara gonna stop you from speeding?
Depends how much you want to pay in fines, how many points you have on your license, and how much you want to pay your insurance company for your bad habits.
Are you against speed limits and traffic lights? Seatbelts? How about headlights and brake lights? Should those be optional? We should also let factories dump raw sewage in the streets, I assume? Maybe we should get rid of police and firefighters too, since you don’t think the government should help people protect themselves.
If you run a red light, then any street is dangerous.
Yes! Cars back and forth on the sidewalk where people are just trying to get home safely. I hate that “fake” parking lot.
I agree with you so much. That parking lot is a hazard to everyone on the sidewalk and a danger to on coming drivers. And cars tend to double park in that area with no one being ticketed because a certain store across the street is popular with the PD.
The street is dangerous?! Or the pedestrians that think they can outrun a car passing the green light? Or the inconsiderate cyclist that does whatever they want? The street is fine. It has traffic lights on every corner. OBEY THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS! Very simple solution.