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There was a fatal bicycle accident last night on the Williamsburg Bridge bike and pedestrian path; an initial report tells us that the accident involved "a cyclist vs. a guardrail" and that the cyclist was DOA at the hospital. [Update below.]
Unlike last autumn's death of Sam Hindy, who accidentally pedaled onto the Manhattan Bridge roadway, this incident took place on the designated area for cyclists and pedestrians. But sections of the Williamsburg Bridge path are narrow and steep, particularly the ramp on the south side of the bridge, pictured here. And with last night's rain it's not hard to imagine an accident occurring on the slippery concrete.
UPDATE: The NYPD tells us that the cyclist, a 32-year-old white male, had a seizure while riding over the north side of the Williamsburg Bridge bike and pedestrian path. The unidentified man was pronounced dead at Beth Israel at 8:30 p.m. No criminality is suspected, but police are investigating and a full report from the medical examiner is forthcoming.
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first question: did the bike have brakes?
@BQE I was actually wondering the same thing. I got creamed by a brakeless trackie on that bridge two summers ago who actually yelled 'No Brakes! No Brakes!'. I hope that's not the case, and either way it's always a tragedy when a fellow cyclist goes down and another ghost bike goes up.
go back to kansas
"thearidginality"
The bridge runs east west but there is a north path and a south path, dumbass.
@ #5: Really, there's no south side of the bridge? That's so weird, because I was just there! And the pedestrians and cyclists were traveling east and west on it.
There are northern and southern bike paths on the bridge.
lol, thearidginality got pwned!
If it was a steep hill, the bike had breaks that failed or no breaks at all, AND the cyclist was not wearing a helmet, I could easily see how this could have happened. ::shudder::
Speeding on a pedestrian path perhaps?
People on bikes need to slow the F down on that bridge. Hopefully this poor guys life ending will have impact on how people conduct themselves on a bike on that bridge moving forward. I too have heard the "no brakes no brakes" scream of a trackie as they almost run me over while I wait to cross Delancey in THE CROSS WALK. Ridic. People, use common sense on your bike please. For your own safety and others. Total tragedy.
@11 - ::shudder::, indeed, and more ...
RIP
Can anyone explain to me the allure of riding a bike with no brakes?
this may be ignorant but. . . there are bikes without brakes? wtf?
trackie or not you need to be able to stop your bike. i ride fixed but i can stop about as quickly as someone with brakes. this no brakes nonsense is just that...nonsense
Flynn110- could you explain how a fixed bike stops at 30 mph when you lose control? besides falling to your death. and please tell me you wear a helmet.
Nothing in this article says the biker was speeding, didn't have Brakes, or that they weren't wearing a helmet. f. Also it is extremely hard to slow down on that bridge thats why so many people have gotten hurt on it. its poorly designed you come down a steep part and fly into traffic its ridiculous.
Just so it's clear, my question is not intended to be a blame the victim, since as you state, there is no indication that the bike didn't have brakes.
However, and while I have not been on the ramp in question, I can't accept "it is extremely hard to slow down on that bridge thats why so many people have gotten hurt on it" as an excuse. If it is hard to slow down, then you shouldn't be going that fast in the first place. If someone driving a car used this excuse, you'd laugh them out of the room.
I sprained my wrist once forgetting about the curb on the Manhattan side. I was going at a pretty good clip down the ramp, too. Thank dog for suspension!
You should always make sure your bike is in good working order and always wear a helmet.
As for falling to your death a couple years ago going over the Queensborough Bridge, I noticed that the nice fencing was gone leaving a short little guardrail. Having visions of falling to my death off the bridge, I dismounted and walked close to the inner side of the bridge.
#17: If you loose control of a bike, you loose control.
Brakes don't magically stop a bike. Especially when your rims are wet, if you have an older bike with a less efficient brake mechanism, or if the level slips out of your fingers. If you hit a pothole, a piece of uneven pavement, an oil slick, or one of the storm grates they have on the path you're going over the handlebars.
Either way fixie or not fixie, brakes or not brakes, you're going to be screwed.
This is why I ride a bike with disc brakes. It doesn't matter what the weather is, the only problem I have is skidding, which is easy to control if you pump your brakes.
bicyclist has a seizure and dies.
automobile driver has a seizure, jumps curb and possibly killing people survives.
so, the cyclist had a seizure. meaning that disc brakes or training wheels or a dorky reflective orange vest wouldn't have helped him. but hey, keep bickering and blaming track bikes, it's more fun that way.
guess one shouldn't bike if you're over 30! leave that to the young broke struggling nyc transplants
The odd thing is that I've seen a bicyclist during a seizure before and he slowed down before he fell. Maybe this biker did likewise but was on that steep downslope and couldn't control his bike. Either way, this is so sad for him and his family.
Even riding your brakes going down that ramp you are still moving fast and no one wants to wear your breaks out from going over that bridge all the time.
RIP.
the wburg bridge is the worst bridge of all. Not like my beautiful brooklyn bridge with her big ol frictiony wood planks. and the color scheme - flesh color! gross. If the wburg bridge were a woman she'd be the old lady that gets thrown out at wendy's at night cause she was soliciting the customers for cheeseburgers for blowjobs.
Which Wendy's?
come on. if you're riding downhill in the rain at 30mph, you're not going to be able to stop on a dime with or without brakes. tires are going to skid.
I don't know if this is the same accident that I rode by last night or not (because I rode by around 7:30). The cyclist looked like he was in very bad shape.
Before you start making comments about the abilities or inabilities of the cyclist, or whether he was riding fixed or not, remember that he was a person, and deserves that respect.
Because of Rosh Hashanah, there were police cars stationed ON the bike/pedestrian path on Tuesday night and yesterday all day/evening. The officer that I spoke to yesterday morning said that they were there for "our safety", yet their presence made it significantly more dangerous on the bridge. There was a cop car positioned directly at top of the Manhattan side entrance ramp - where the North and South paths converge, and also one at the base on the Manhattan side (right under the entrance arch). The car at the top was almost impossible to see until you were practically ontop of them. I strongly believe that this had something to do with the accident. I am a very skilled rider, yet I had difficulty navigating the narrow path that they left us, in the milliseconds that I had to react.
My thoughts are with the family and friends of the rider, and I hope that the precinct acknowledges some responsibility for this accident.
People won't learn. It's human nature that people have a "it can't happen to me" attitude, no matter how bad a story they might hear about. I remember watching a cyclist speeding by on the Brooklyn Bridge. He zoomed around one of the towers. When I got around it, I saw him pulling his front wheel out from between the balustrades where he obviously was going too fast to make the second turn. A bit faster and he could have gone right over the guard rail onto the roadway below. Idiot.
poor guy had a seizure - save the fixed-gear-hating for another article.
sheesh.
So who's the Gothmamist editor who consistently deletes any negative comments about bikers? You can say pretty much anything you want about anybody on Gothamist. I saw today someone said he'd like to choke Sarah Palin with his cock and then rape her. But heaven forbid you say something about bikers your comment will likely be gone within a day.
Hey Blem, if you were complying with the speed limit on the bridge then your supreme biker skills would have allowed you to stop, get off your bike, and walk around the cop car that was there to protect a much-threatened religious group on one of their high holy days.
BWAHHHHH!!!!!
Jen - I had no problem with the officers being there for Rosh Hashanah, it was just their choice of location which I had a problem with. I was complying with "the speed limit" on the bridge, but when you're going around 2 turns, expecting a little more room and immediately are forced into a 4 foot space, no matter how slow/fast you're going, it's dangerous.
They were in a poorly chosen location, and that's that.
And please, this is not the location to hate on bikes/whatever. A man lost his life - be a human being and leave your bitching about what you think about bikes at the door.
Very simple People from the midwest should not ride bikes in NY. Totally differnet playing field.
I have been riding in NY pretty much my whole life (minus the training wheel days) and have never had an accident like all the Burg. hipsters. I dont wear a helmet, no flashing lights, and no rear view mirror. Maybe I should start a biking school for mid westerners.
I am surprised his puffy vest didnt help him with the fall. Very sad.
Are there special cop patrols (expensive) set up for. . .
Easter?
Ramadan?
Bodhi Day?
Didn't think so.
easter, ramadan, and bodhi day do not give rise to a significant increase in foot traffic over the williamsburg bridge.
can everybody stop being such a shitty gothamist commentor for a minute, and maybe just be quiet? there was an accident and somebody died, and that's too bad.
We don't know exactly what happened, so we should not jump to conclusions and blame the dead man, the police or anyone else.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigates plane, train and bus accidents.
Does anyone look at bicycle tragedies?
A note on the NYPD being on the bridge:
I was longboarding down the bridge into Manhattan on this day and as I was rounding the corner where the bridge opens up to a wider two lane descent, I slammed into the back of an NYPD police van. I had zero time to react to the van as the idiots parked said van about 8 feet from where you come around the turn.
Anyone who commutes using the bridge knows that area is prone to accidents.
After slamming into the back of the van I made sure the cops looked at me in the eye as I told them how stupid there were.
On the way back a couple hours later the van was replaced by a cop car, again parked right in the middle and forcing bikers, walkers and boarders to share space on either the right or left of the car.
I asked what they were doing there and was told that a man was robbed at gun point on the bridge A MONTH AGO and that they were there for our protection.
I told him he was stupid to think they are providing any safety and was told that I was in the minority on the issue.
Fuck the NYPD. The city needs to fire all of them and hire smart people who actually have a brain and know who to question their superiors/guidelines etc..
Maybe they can hire all those wall street hot shots who are out of jobs now.