NYPD: Cyclist Struck And Killed On Cross Bay Boulevard
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A bicyclist was fatally struck in Queens on Sunday, prompting nearby residents to say the roadway is just too dangerous.
Neighbors say Cross Bay Boulevard in Broad Channel is like a residential race track. It was the site of an accident that claimed the the life of a 65-year-old man, later identified as Bogdan Darmetko. Investigators found him unresponsive on the roadway at around 4:45 p.m.
"Jesus man, I think I started crying. I mean, it's messed up," neighbor Matt Miner told CBS2's Hazel Sanchez.
Miner and his wife said they were inside their home when they heard an SUV slam into the cyclist as he was heading north on the boulevard near Fourth Road.
"I came out here and I saw a twisted-up bike on the road and an SUV stopped and people crowded around already, and I was like, 'Oh my God, is everyone okay?' They were like, 'No!'" Miner said.
"By the way the person was laying, it was obvious that it wasn't very good," Sloane Miner added.
"They tried resuscitating him, giving him chest compressions, but no luck," witness Jesse Macrae said.
There were bike lanes in both directions, but the accident happened on a rough section of the boulevard being repaved.
"Cars travel pretty fast right over here, and with the bike lane being gone, and the street being ripped up, there was no designated path for anybody to ride bikes," Broad Channel resident Danny Stevens said. "So it was kind of just a matter of time before something happened because it's a recipe for disaster, you know?"
Long before Sunday's accident, people who live along Cross Bay Boulevard said they had been campaigning to improve the safety of the roadway.
"I don't think there was any criminality involved in terms of the driver, but it does bring to light that, yes, there needs to be action taken and there should be a stoplight," Sloane Miner said.
"If you look, no one's doing 30 mph over here, and that's the speed limit in the street. So, unless they start doing cameras or stuff like that, I just don't see a change," Stevens added.
"This community has been asking for a stop light in this area for a long, long time because people drive through here 70 mph, 80 mph sometimes," Matt Miner added. "I don't think that this guy was speeding. I think this was an actual accident, a freak accident, but if we had a stoplight here it would be a lot safer."
Police said the SUV driver stayed at the scene and so far is not facing any charges, Sanchez reported.
At least 25 cyclists have been killed in the city so far this year, compared to 10 in 2018.
- Jan. 1 – Hugo Alexander Sinto Garcia, 26, was killed on Third Avenue near East 28th Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
- Jan. 4 – Hector Ayala, 41, was killed on Linden Boulevard near Crescent Street in East New York, Brooklyn.
- Jan. 26 – Susan Moses, 63, was killed at Kings Highway and Van Sicklen Street in Gravesend, Brooklyn.
- Feb. 4 – Joseph Chiam, 72, was killed by a tractor-trailer truck at 8th Avenue and 45th Street in Midtown, Manhattan. The driver took off.
- Feb. 28 – Aurilla Lawrence, 25, was killed at Broadway and Rodney Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
- March 14 – Robert Spencer, 53, was killed at Borden Avenue and Second Street in Long Island City, Queens.
- April 17 – Pedro Tepozteco, 26, was killed on 47th Street near 17th Avenue in Borough Park, Brooklyn.
- April 27 – Victor Ang, 74, was killed on 11th Avenue near West 30th Street in Chelsea, Manhattan.
- May 11 – Kenichi Nakagawa, 22, was killed at Dean Street and Brooklyn Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
- May 12 – Robert Sommer, 29, was killed by a car on Avenue U between Burnett and East 33rd streets in Marine Park, Brooklyn.
- May 15 – Yisroel Schwartz, 16, was killed at 17th Avenue and 53rd Street in Borough Park, Brooklyn.
- June 9 – Mohammed Abdullah, 29, was killed by a car at Avenue D and 105th Street in Canarsie, Brooklyn. The driver was charged with driving while intoxicated with her 4-year-old daughter in the backseat.
- June 24 – Robyn Hightman, 20, was killed by a tractor-trailer truck at West 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue. The driver was cited for equipment violations.
- June 27 – Ernest Askew, 57, was killed by a car at Chester Street and Sutter Avenue in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
- July 1 – Devra Freelander, 28, was killed by a cement truck at Boerum Street and Bushwick Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
- July 23 – Alex Cordero, 17, was killed by tow truck at Castleton Avenue and Clove Road in the West Brighton section of Staten Island.
- July 23 – Liam Nhan, 58, was killed by a box truck at McGuiness Boulevard and Norman Avenue in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
- July 29 – Em Samolewicz, 30, was killed by a tractor-trailer at 35th Street and Third Avenue in Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn.
- Aug. 11 - Jose Alzorriz, 52, was killed when a car ran a red light and slammed into an SUV at Coney Island Avenue and Avenue L in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
- Aug. 26 - Charles Cheeseboro, 43, was killed at East Drive near Terrace Drive in Central Park, Manhattan.
- Sept. 2 - Donald Roberts, 47, was killed at Broadway and Ellery Street on the border of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bushwick, Brooklyn. The driver, Korey Johnson, was charged with murder and reckless endangerment.
- Sept. 8 - Abdul Bashar, 62, was killed at Third Avenue and 12th Street in Gowanus, Brooklyn.
- Sept. 21 - Mario Valenzuela, 14, was killed by a dump truck at Borden Avenue and 11th Street in Long Island City, Queens.
- Sept. 27 - Ada Martinez, 66, was killed at Rockaway Freeway and Beach 94th Street in Rockaway Beach, Queens.
- Oct. 5 - Dalerjon Shahobiddinov, 10, was killed by an SUV at Seton Place and Foster Avenue in Kensington, Brooklyn. The driver, Victor Meji, was charged with driving without a license.
- Oct. 13 - Bogdan Darmetko, 65, was killed by an SUV at Cross Bay Boulevard in Broad Channel in Broad Channel, Queens.