One motorcycle rider died and another was injured after a private sanitation truck backed into them as its driver tried to enter a one-way street in Jamaica the wrong way early Tuesday morning.
The driver of the Boro Wide Recycling garbage truck was improperly backing up onto 157th Street from the westbound lane of Liberty Avenue when it struck the motorcycle, which was also traveling westbound on Liberty Avenue at around 1 a.m., police said.
Cops tried to shift the blame onto the motorcyclist, saying the two-wheeler was driving "at an apparent high rate of speed" before the crash, even though the initial report sent out by police mentioned that the private hauler was backing up — the latest example of New York's Finest blaming victims of crashes and years of recklessness by private carters.
Just got back to the office for meeting. Greeted by private sanitation truck driving wrong way down my one-way street pic.twitter.com/F4JEm7ftxc
— David G. Greenfield (@NYCGreenfield) November 22, 2013
The collision sent a 30-year-old male and a 23-year-old male flying off the motorcycle; paramedics rushed the victims to Jamaica Hospital, where the 30-year-old died. Police say the 23-year-old victim is in stable condition. Authorities have yet to identify the victims pending family notification.
The unidentified driver of the sanitation truck stayed at the scene, but police did not issue any immediate summonses or make any arrests, saying the investigation is ongoing.
The private carting industry has been in the spotlight over the past year after a spate of fatal collisions and reckless driving. The NYPD vowed to crack down on notoriously rogue carters, and advocates are fighting to reform the industry.
Boro Wide Recycling said it is cooperating with the investigation.
