Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

Hit-and-Run Driver Who Killed Greenway Cyclist Gets 1 to 4 Years

11:19 AM EST on March 10, 2017

October 2016 Google Maps image of the Hudson River Greenway at Chambers Street, with Olga Cook’s ghost bike background right. DOT has made changes since this photo was taken, but TA says more needs to be done to prevent more deaths and injuries.

The hit-and-run driver who killed cyclist Olga Cook on the Hudson River Greenway is going to jail.

On the evening of June 11, 2016, Samuel Silva hit Cook with a Ford pickup truck as he turned right from West Street onto Chambers Street. Cook, 30, was knocked to the ground and sustained fatal head and body trauma.

Olga Cook
Olga Cook

Silva did not stop to summon help or render aid. He was tracked down a few minutes later, after a witness showed a photo of his New Jersey license plate to an off-duty MTA police officer, according to Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's office.

“At the time of Silva’s arrest, police observed that he had been under the influence of alcohol,” Vance’s office said in a statement.

Silva was initially charged with manslaughter, drunk driving, and felony leaving the scene, court records said. He pled guilty to a top charge of leaving the scene, a class D felony; criminally negligent homicide, a class E felony; and driving under the influence of alcohol, a traffic infraction.

Silva was sentenced Wednesday to one and one-third to four years in state prison. His license was suspended for 90 days.

“Fleeing the scene of a crash is not only illegal; it’s an act of cowardice,” said Vance. “Samuel Silva’s negligence killed a woman -- a newlywed and a triathlete -- in the prime of her life, and gravely endangered countless other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.”

Chambers Street is one of several locations where poor design creates conflicts between greenway users and motorists. DOT made some changes to the intersection after Cook was killed, adding crosswalk markings and a signal phase for turning drivers, but declined to implement additional safety measures recommended by Transportation Alternatives.

“High visibility crosswalks and signal changes are not enough,” TA Executive Director Paul White told Downtown Express. “To prevent further loss of life, the DOT must also install safety islands in the crosswalk to prevent motorists from making fast sweeping turns, and elevate the crosswalk so that the greenway continues at an elevated grade through the crosswalk, creating a speed table. These two measures should be made standard wherever a class one bike facility intersects with a roadway.”

Cook’s husband is suing the city and the state “for failing to remedy the dangerous intersection,” according to the Post.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Popular Fort Greene Open Street Fizzles After City Pulls Support

DOT reassigned its contractor, and this open street — which once hosted rollicking dance parties — is history.

October 2, 2023

Monday’s Headlines: Thin-Skinned, Anti-Restler Mayor Edition

Under fire for how he handled the storm, the mayor found a familiar target: Brooklyn Council Member Lincoln Restler. Plus other news.

October 2, 2023

Two Paths Forward: Broadway Shows What Could Be on Fifth Avenue

It's time to widen Fifth Avenue's sidewalks and add a protected bike lane. Delays hurt everyone.

CYCLE OF RAGE: Even Cheap Souvenir Plates Fool NYC Speed Cameras — And Piss Off an Out-of-Town Man

You don't have to be SEXY to fool New York City speed cameras. You just have to pretend to be.

October 2, 2023

We Have the ‘End of Days’ Flooding Pics You Need Right Now

It's bad out there. How bad? Here is a citywide roundup from our staff ... and our friends on social media.

September 29, 2023
See all posts