A cyclist is in critical condition, and a pedestrian was also injured, after they collided in Central Park on Monday.
A police spokesperson says the incident happened around 3:20 p.m. near 74th Street and East Drive on Monday. Cops found the cyclist, a 43-year-old man, was lying on the ground with trauma to the head. He was transported to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
The pedestrian, a 77-year-old man, was also taken to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center with minor injuries.
A preliminary investigation by the NYPD's Highway Collision Investigation Squad found that the cyclist was riding northbound on East Drive when he collided with the pedestrian, who was crossing westbound in the crosswalk at 74th Street. The NYPD did not have details on the type of bike, but the Daily News reports it was an e-bike.
There is a traffic light at the location but it is not clear who had the right of way at the time. Cops add that no charges have been filed, and the investigation is ongoing.
A witness told CBS the cyclist, "fell over and fell on his head. When you come up on situations like this, you feel helpless." CBS claims they witnessed two other bike crashes—including "a woman [who] was hit by a cyclist as she rode her bike with a group in almost the same area"—while they were reporting this story.
Cops were out telling cyclists to slow down after the collision.
According to ABC, there have been 169 pedestrians injured by cyclists so far this year. According to the NYC Crash Mapper, there have been far fewer collisions in Central Park than other parts of the city.
A total of 19 cyclists have been killed on New York City streets in 2019 so far, nine more than were killed in all of 2018.
