Pedestrian Struck By Cyclist In Central Park Has Died

A pedestrian who was struck by a pedal cyclist as he crossed the park’s Drive on Sept. 23 has died, the victim’s family announced on Sunday.

According to police and witnesses, Richie O’Brien was walking on the East Drive on his way to work as a union steamfitter around 6:35 a.m. last Wednesday when he was struck by a 32-year-old cyclist on a regular pedal bike. Both men were thrown to the pavement, but O’Brien suffered severe head trauma.

He was taken to Weill-Cornell in critical condition. He remained in a medically induced coma all week, but died on Sunday, according to a post by his family.

“We are incredibly grateful for the love, prayers, and support that have surrounded Richie and his family throughout this heartbreaking journey,” the family said in a statement.

O’Brien is survived by his wife Ronni and daughters, 8 and 12.

The bicyclist, whose name was not released by police, remained on the scene with minor injuries that were treated without hospitalization. A witness, a frequent park runner Laura Sackler, said he was “very shocked and confused which turned into what I felt like was disbelief and he was clearly emotionally devastated [and] and at one point near tears.”

Sackler said O’Brien was never conscious after the crash. He had lost a substantial amount of blood and “it took an incredibly long time to get medical help to him.”

The initial police report said that the crash happened near W. 84th Street, but Sackler told Streetsblog that the crash happened at E. 84th Street, just behind the Metropolitan Museum, and the cyclist has been heading northbound, which is the correct direction. Sackler, confirmed that the cyclist was on a regular pedal bike out for recreation in the early morning before the park gets crowded.

The detail is important, Sackler said, because initially, there were inaccurate posts online.

“I made the clarification to fix the inaccuracy and also hope it would stop the online backlash … that’s totally unrelated to this case,” she said, adding, however, that “we have a serious e-bike issue.”

That “issue” will come to a head on Wednesday, when the City Council takes up more than a dozen bills related to micromobility, and anti-e-bike testimony from anti-cycling forces is expected to run into the many hours.

So far this year, 66 pedestrians have been killed by drivers, according to the Department of Transportation. None has been killed by e-bike riders.

After the crash, the Central Park Conservancy issued a statement reiterating its call “for additional safety measures on the Drives,” specifically making permanent the current 15-mile-per-hour speed limit and better enforcement.

Park officials also called for “better bike infrastructure around the Park’s perimeter so that commuters and delivery riders have safe, direct routes that don’t require cutting through the Park itself.” Streetsblog has long covered similar proposals put forth by safety advocates.

Friends of Richie O’Brien have set up a GoFundMe page.