Second U.S. Bike Share Fatality in NYC

So sad to report this. Rest in peace. 

A 36-year-old Brooklyn man was fatally struck by a charter bus driver in Chelsea on Monday morning as he biked along West 26th Street on a Citi Bike. Dan Hanegby, who lived in Brooklyn Heights with his wife and two children, became the first person to die riding a Citi Bike since the bike share program launched in 2013.

According to a preliminary NYPD investigation, shortly after 8 a.m. Hanegby was biking eastbound in the same direction as the 52-year-old bus driver. Between 7th and 8th Avenues, Hanegby "fell to the ground which resulted in the rear tires rolling over" him, the NYPD said in a statement. First responders found Hanegby on the street with "severe trauma to the body." He was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

http://gothamist.com/2017/06/13/cyclist_killed_chelsea_citi_bike.php

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Permalink Reply by mike w. on June 13, 2017 at 2:34pm

And he fell how??

Sad to read.

So, was the driver detained? Apparently not...

"The operator of the bus remained at the scene and was not charged. A police source told DNAinfo that the bus driver and Hanegby "both swerved at the same time to avoid hitting something, causing them to strike each other." One warehouse worker in the neighborhood told the website, "The bus kept going at first and I ran after it. Then it put on the signal and pulled over." "

"Some cyclists and safe streets advocates questioned the preliminary NYPD account of the fatal collision, which appeared in news reports such as NY1, which said Hanegby "collided with a charter bus and fell to the ground," suggesting Hanegby was at fault.

In his daily Transportation Alternatives column, Bike Snob NYC writes: "Inasmuch as the victim was a trained athlete, experienced cyclist, and IDF sergeant, all of the above accounts imply a sort of haplessness on his part that seems spurious, and at the risk of jumping to conclusions this sounds a lot more like being sideswiped by a speeding bus. I suspect most of us have had harrowing encounters with these types of vehicles."

West 26th Street, a one way street, is not a designated truck route, and Bike Snob points out that the operator of a charter bus would only be allowed to use it for the purposes of arriving at his or her destination, according to NYC traffic rules."

And yet more victim blaming. Damn.

Permalink Reply by mike w. on June 13, 2017 at 2:39pm

Aaand, true to form, the NYPD responded by clamping down on cyclists and ignoring double-parked vehicles...

Glad i don't have to ride in NYC!

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on June 13, 2017 at 5:46pm
Permalink Reply by Sean Newby on June 16, 2017 at 8:01am

I was just reading that, and had the same reaction. I sincerely hope that the City of Chicago is not looking to New York City for inspiration and guidance in implementing Vision Zero.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on June 16, 2017 at 4:28pm

The bus ran over his torso after clipping his handlebars yet they felt the need to report he wasn't wearing a helmet and had headphones on. This had nothing to do with his cause of death. I appreciate the reporter is bringing to light the video that contradicts the police but this mention is still in the realm of victim blaming.

Permalink Reply by Sean Newby on June 17, 2017 at 6:18am

especially considering the cyclist was riding a Citi bike. i don't use Divvy bikes, but if i did i don't think i would be carrying a helmet all the time just in case i wanted to ride somewhere.

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on June 17, 2017 at 12:14pm

From what has come out so far, it looks like that bus should not have been going down that street, period.  It is becoming clear that the bus tried to pass the cyclist and didn't quite have enough room, probably because vehicles were parked on both sides of the roadway.  Nonetheless, the bus, the driver of which could or should have seen the cyclist, went on through, clipped the cyclist, turned his handlebars and flung him under the rear wheels of the bus, to his very tragic demise.  I think the cyclist's family will have the edge in the inevitable lawsuit from what I see so far.  I don't think, again from what we know so far, that the cyclist not wearing a helmet made any difference.

I do know, from my own personal experience, that I can usually hear CTA buses approaching me from behind.  I don't think it's a good idea to wear headphones while riding a bike in a city, because every single piece of environmental data, from either ear, is crucial.  Also, I use left-side rear-view mirrors that allow me to see them.  I don't see enough of those out there.  But then, I'm kind of a chicken.  

I think that the initial coverage of this story was inaccurate and biased against the cyclist.  I also wish he had had a mirror and was not wearing headphones.  I, personally, do every single thing I can to survive on the roads, regardless of who is at fault for bad conduct.  I'm the one who's going to be hurt, not the person in the 3000-pound machine.

     

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