Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

Xin Kang Wang, 74, Dies Ten Days After Taxi Passenger Doored Him on 20th Street

4:56 PM EDT on May 18, 2017

Wang was riding in the East 20th Street bike lane when a cab driver pulled in front of him. Photo: Google Maps

Xin Kang Wang, 74, died on Sunday, 10 days after a taxi passenger doored him on 20th Street. The driver had pulled into the bike lane ahead of Wang immediately beforehand, police said.

Wang was heading east on 20th Street between Broadway and Park Avenue. As the passenger exited the vehicle they hit Wang with the door, and Wang "bounced into the adjacent travel lane and fell in front of a second 2016 Toyota, before coming to a rest on the roadway," according to the police description of the crash. The NYPD account suggests but does not actually specify that the driver of the second vehicle struck Wang.

Both drivers remained on the scene and no arrests have been made, though an investigation is ongoing. The taxi driver was given a summons for discharging a passenger in a bike lane, according to the Daily News.

Wang is the second person killed biking in Manhattan this year, matching the total number of cyclist deaths in the borough in 2016.

The May 4 collision occurred in the 13th Precinct and the City Council district represented by Rosie Mendez. The 13th Precinct holds its next community council meeting on June 20.

Correction (5/19/17, 9:55 a.m.): NYPD's description of the crash incorrectly said the victim was female. The text has been amended to reflect Wang's correct gender according to the funeral home that handled his memorial service.

Update (5/19/17, 11:37 a.m.): The driver of the first vehicle in the crash was not operating a city-licensed taxi or livery car, and in fact had New Jersey license plates, according to a spokesperson for the TLC. The second vehicle involved in the crash was a TLC-registered for-hire vehicle.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Third Ave. ‘Complete Street’ Adds Wide Bike Lane, But Still Keeps Too Much Space for Cars

The bike lane is a good start, but the city must aim higher for its "complete streets," advocates say.

December 8, 2023

Cops Collar Driver Who Killed Heroic Nanny — But the Charge is Merely ‘Failure to Yield’

The charges don't match the outrage that the crash provoked.

December 8, 2023

What’s Behind the Increasing Assaults of NYC Transit Workers?

A new study says the violence isn't about the transit, but a reflection of our society.

December 7, 2023

Thursday’s Headlines: What an Historic Day Edition

It was such a big deal that all sorts of strangers in the press corps showed up. Plus other news.

December 7, 2023
See all posts