A 26-year-old cyclist and a 7-year-old boy were killed in separate incidents on Wednesday, adding two more road deaths to a year that is experiencing a 40-percent increase in fatalities.
Both crashes — one in Brooklyn and one in Queens — occurred in the afternoon. In the first, police say Cameron Brown, 7, had just exited a yellow school bus on Gipson Street in Far Rockaway at around 3 p.m. when the 22-year-old driver of a Ford van pinned him against the back of the stopped bus. The NY Post identified the van as a "church" van.
He was taken to St. John's Episcopal Hospital, where he died. The driver of the van remained on the scene and was not charged.
Other details were not provided by the police, but Transportation Alternatives blamed the reckless driver.
"This crash could have been prevented, but until drivers understand the weight of speeding and illegally passing a school bus, they will act with impunity and continue to put our children in danger," the group said in a statement.
The New York State Assembly unanimously passed legislation ... which would authorize municipalities’ use of camera enforcement against drivers who illegally pass school buses when their stop arms are engaged. Now it's time for the Senate to act."
A few hours later, cyclist Pedro Tepozteco was hit by the driver of a box truck on 47th Avenue between 17th and 18th avenues in Borough Park.
According to cops, Tepozteco was on 47th Avenue at around 5:30 p.m. when he was struck by the 29-year-old truck driver as the driver tried to pass him near the intersection. The wording of the police report appears to blame the cyclist:
"As the box truck was passing the bicyclist, the bicyclist fell into the side of the truck and was struck by the passenger side rear tires," police said in a statement.
The truck driver remained on the scene. Police did not provide additional information, pending a complete investigation, but Boro Park 24 published a series of photos of the incident, showing the crumpled bike and dozens of horrified kids.
The fatalities come during a particularly bloody opening to 2019. According to police statistics, before these deaths, there were 58 deaths on New York City streets since Jan. 1 — an increase of 41.5 percent compared to the same period of 2018.
This story was updated at 8:22 to reflect more details about the death of Pedro Tepozteco.
