The New York Times published an interesting piece about the man who recently died in a bicycle-bus collision on West 125th Street in Harlem. Victim Pedro Santiago, 45, was an ambitious Mexican immigrant who made friends from all walks of life. He wanted to become an engineer, and took classes at Columbia and Hofstra Universities. He regularly sent money back to family members in Mexico.
The story cautions people to stop viewing deliverymen and other people in the service industry as anonymous people. They are New Yorkers with important jobs and meaningful lives outside of their employment. It is tragic that Santiago died when there were many more chapters of his interesting life that had yet to be written.
The fatal bicycle accident occurred as Santiago passed a double-length MTA bus on its left side then moved into its lane. The bus was simultaneously pulling out from a stop and clipped his rear bike tire. Santiago fell to the pavement where he was run over by the city bus.
No citations or charges were filed. If Santiago’s family decides to pursue a wrongful death claim, it must file a notice of claim against MTA within 90 days of the accident.
Source: New York Times, “Bicyclist Killed By A Bus Rose Above Usual Anonymity Of Deliverymen In The City,” Anemona Hartocollis, Jan. 24, 2014
