The vehicles driven by hit-and-run drivers come in all sizes. Even bicycles.
Last month’s tragic news about the death of a 44-year-old pedestrian in Manhattan once again highlights that fact that bicyclists, too, pose a dangerous threat to pedestrians.
Pedestrian dies five days later
While walking in a crosswalk and only blocks from his home, the male victim was struck and critically injured by a bicyclist who flouted the most basic traffic law: ceding the right of way to a pedestrian. The collision led to both the pedestrian and bicyclist landing on the ground.
What did the bicyclist do? He simply got back on his bicycle and fled. The injured pedestrian died five days later on Aug. 16.
A pedestrian can follow all the prescribed traffic safety guidelines and still become a victim due to the actions of a reckless cyclist or motorist.
Such injuries and deaths on the rise in NYC
It is rare for a pedestrian to die or sustain injuries after a collision with a bicyclist. But such incidents appear to be on the rise in New York City. Through mid-August 2019, two pedestrians died in such incidents and 169 pedestrians sustained injuries. No such deaths occurred in New York during the same period in 2018, while 148 pedestrians sustained injuries.
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, U.S. pedestrian deaths in 2021 reached their highest level in 40 years. The country reported an estimated 7,485 pedestrian deaths in 2021, representing a 12% increase in such fatalities from the previous year.
Reckless and illegal behavior of bicyclists and drivers
Pedestrians should always remain alert when walking on sidewalks and crossing streets. The irresponsible and illegal behavior of a reckless and distracted bicyclist or motorist can lead to tragedy just like what happened last month in Manhattan. In that incident, authorities have a good description of the bicyclist and continue their search for the person described as a 25-year-old man.
