One Killed, One Injured in Truck Accident on 86th Street in Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn, NY -- April 21, 2022, one person was killed and one was injured after an accident where an e-bike crashed with a box truck.
Authorities reported that the crash took place at around 4:10 a.m. near the intersection of 86th Street and West 11th Street.
In their initial reports, investigators said that a 20-year-old man and a 35-year-old man were on an e-bike traveling along northbound 86th Street. Somehow, their bike crashed into the back of a parked delivery truck that was unoccupied.
Due to the collision, the 20-year-old man sustained fatal injuries. The other man had unspecified injuries. Right now, additional details are unavailable.
Commentary on Bike, Truck Accident on 86th Street in Brooklyn
There may be some complex factors that will require further investigations here, and my concern is if the details are getting that attention they need. To be blunt, a lot of people just blame the victims in these situations. Not only is there generally a bias against folks on non-standard vehicles such as bikes, scooters, and motorcycles, but they tend to assume someone hitting a parked vehicle must not have been paying attention. But there are certain details in these initial reports which make me wonder just how avoidable, if at all, this delivery truck was.
Looking at the most recent images I can find of the area where this occurred, there isn't all that much room on this roadway when there's a large commercial truck parked along the side. On top of that fact, this happened early in the morning before sunrise, and reports even say the truck was unoccupied at the time. This raises some serious questions. For one, was this truck legally parked, or did some truck driver do only what was convenient for them with no regard for the safety of others? Furthermore, how visible was the truck. If it was unoccupied, were there no hazard lights or other lighting marking the vehicle? Would a reasonably prudent driver have been able to see the truck before it was too late to avoid it?
Put another way, this incident seems to be far from some typical case of someone rear-ending a truck in traffic or at a stoplight. There appear to be far more complex circumstances, and it would likely be worth independent investigations to make sure authorities aren't overlooking anything important. Not only is there someone in need of all the help they can get, but there's no doubt a family in need of answers about the loss of their loved one. Getting them those answers should be a priority.
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