Cement Truck Driver Kills Cyclist Near Greenway in Hell’s Kitchen

A cement truck driver killed a woman riding a bike near the Hudson River Greenway in Hell’s Kitchen this morning.

The 65-year-old victim was westbound on W. 55th Street, riding toward the greenway, at around 6:45 a.m. when the driver, also westbound, struck her while attempting to turn right onto 12th Avenue, according to NYPD.

A police spokesperson told Streetsblog the victim was riding in the crosswalk when she was struck. There is a painted bike lane on the south side of W. 55th Street, but the transition to the greenway entails biking in a crosswalk from the northern side of the street.

The victim, whose identity had not been released as of late this morning, pending family notification, sustained injuries to her head and body and died at the scene. Media reports said the victim was a man, but NYPD told us that information was incorrect.

NYPD withheld the driver’s name, identifying him only as a 56-year-old man. The department’s description of the crash strongly suggests the victim had the right of way, but NYPD’s public information office did not provide a determination of who was at fault and said the Collision Investigation Squad was still working the crash.

The victim of today’s crash was the second person killed by a truck driver in Hell’s Kitchen in the past week. Maria Munez-Carna, a tourist from Spain, was struck last Friday in a crosswalk at W. 39th Street and 10th Avenue.

This fatal crash occurred in the 18th Precinct, where officers ticket around one motorist a day for failing to yield, and in the City Council district represented by Helen Rosenthal, where truck drivers have killed two cyclists in the last four weeks.