Truck Driver and Cyclist in Fatal Parkside Avenue Crash
A 25-year-old bicyclist, identified by Streetsblog as Kala Santiago, was killed at 7 a.m. on Parkside Avenue, and Streetsblog reported that tractor-trailer driver Saeed Ahmed remained at the scene.
What We Know
The crash was recorded at 7 a.m. on Oct. 12, 2022, on Parkside Avenue in Brooklyn. The official record lists one person killed: a 25-year-old woman riding a bike. Streetsblog identified her as Kala Santiago and reported that she and tractor-trailer driver Saeed Ahmed were both traveling east near Parade Place. AMNY reported police accounts that she lost control and fell into the road; Streetsblog reported Ahmed's claim that she probably hit a parked car as he moved to pass. The official record also lists a parked flatbed and cites improper passing or lane use. Streetsblog reported the driver remained at the scene, was released with no tickets, and was not immediately charged.
Both were eastbound before the fatal crash.
The official record places the crash at 7 a.m. on Oct. 12, 2022, on Parkside Avenue and lists a tractor truck diesel, a bike and a parked flatbed. Streetsblog reported that Kala Santiago and tractor-trailer driver Saeed Ahmed were both traveling east near Parade Place before the collision occurred.
AMNY reported police accounts that Santiago lost control of the bike and fell into the road. Streetsblog reported Ahmed's account that she probably hit a parked car on the narrow roadway as he moved to pass.
Kala Santiago died at the scene.
The official record lists the person killed as a 25-year-old female bicyclist. Streetsblog identified her as Kala Santiago, and AMNY reported that paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
Accounts differed on how to describe fault.
The official record lists improper passing or lane use as a contributing factor, and the bike entry also lists driver inexperience. AMNY reported police accounts that Santiago lost control and fell into the road, while Streetsblog reported that a later NYPD release did not blame either Santiago or the driver.
Ahmed told Streetsblog that Santiago was ahead of him, that he moved to pass, and that she got nervous by the trailer wheels and went under.
The crash happened on a contested Parkside Avenue corridor.
Streetsblog located the crash on Parkside Avenue near Parade Place, close to Prospect Park. The outlet reported that Parkside Avenue was not a designated truck route, though it was surrounded by truck routes, and quoted residents who said the roadway was often jammed with trucks.
Streetsblog reported that Parkside Avenue had received a road diet and a protected bike lane between Ocean and Coney Island avenues the prior year. The outlet cited city data showing 55 reported crashes on those four blocks in 2019 and 23 in 2021 after the open street and bike-lane changes.
The driver stayed, and police did not make an immediate arrest.
AMNY reported that the truck driver remained at the scene and that no arrests had been made as the investigation continued. Streetsblog reported that Ahmed was not immediately charged and said police released him with no tickets.