If you are a bicyclist in New York City, it can seem as if you take your life into your hands every time you go out for a spin on two wheels. That perception was eerily accurate last month, as it was the month with the most bike fatalities in NYC since 2014 when de Blasio first became the city’s mayor.
No fewer than seven cyclists in three city boroughs died in September 2020. One was in Queens, three were in the Bronx and another three were killed right here in Brooklyn.
One of the Brooklyn fatalities was an assistant prosecutor with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. She died after being struck by a charter bus on Sept. 7 in Williamsburg.
The 35-year-old ADA was eastbound on Wythe Ave at approximately 12:35 a.m. when the charter bus hit her. Despite being rushed by to Bellevue Hospital, she succumbed to her injuries.
These seven fatalities flew in the face of de Blasio’s signature Vision Zero program. The Mayor launched the initiative to eliminate traffic deaths in the Big Apple.
Despite the uptick in fatalities for cycling, riding bicycles has been the activity of choice for many city residents who were avoiding the subway system in recent months.
If you wind up injured in a bicycle crash with a motorist, your injuries can be disabling and permanent. Your life as you knew may effectively end upon the impact with the vehicle’s bumper.
If that collision was found to be the fault of the driver, you should understand that you have a right to pursue financial compensation designed to mitigate the disabling effects of your bike crash.