A cyclist was killed in Queens yesterday after colliding with an open door of a parked car. According to police, the 39-year-old male cyclist was biking eastbound on Union Turnpike at around 8:15 p.m. when "he struck a parked car at the location when the operator of the vehicle opened his door." The driver remained at the scene. “The handlebar went right through his jugular,” a witness told the Post. “The blood was pouring out like a fire hydrant. I started saying the ‘Our Father’ over him in the street.” Witnesses reportedly tried to stem the bleeding with their clothing but the victim was pronounced dead at Queens General Hospital. The NYPD says there is no criminality suspected.
Section 1214 of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law [pdf] states:
Opening and closing vehicle doors. No person shall open the door of a motor vehicle on the side available to moving traffic unless and until it is reasonable safe to do so, and can be done without interfering with the movement of other traffic, nor shall any person leave a door open on the side of the vehicle available to moving traffic for a period of time longer than necessary to load or unload passengers.
An NYPD spokesperson confirmed that no arrests have been made in the case, and that there is no criminality suspected. The victim's identity has not been released because his family hasn't been notified yet, but the Post reports that he was a lighting technician for the Big Apple Circus, which currently has an exhibition in Cunningham Park. The circus' manager, Tom Larson, said the victim was "an immensely valuable part of our circus family."
