A cyclist is in critical condition after being struck by the driver of a private carting truck in Gowanus on Sunday night. [Update: The cyclist, Abul Bashar, died later in September from his injuries, making his death the 23rd cyclist fatality this year.]
According to the NYPD, the 62-year-old male cyclist was riding an e-bike north on 3rd Avenue at around 9:30 p.m. when they were struck by the driver of a Mack dump truck traveling south on 3rd Avenue, as the driver tried to make a left turn onto 12th Street.
The cyclist suffered head injuries and was taken to Methodist Hospital in critical condition. The 32-year-old driver of the dump truck remained at the scene, police said. No arrests were made and no summonses were issued, though the investigation is ongoing.
In 2019 alone, 21 cyclists have been killed on New York City streets, eleven more than in all of 2018.
An NYPD spokesperson could not say what private carting company the truck belonged to, though photos in the Daily News show that the truck appeared to belong to Lomangino Brothers, Inc. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the company has a fleet of five trucks, one of which was involved in a crash that injured two people in 2017. The truck in the photo does not appear to have a side-guard to prevent pedestrians or cyclists from being swept under the truck; side guards will be required on all trucks weighing 10,000 pounds or more by 2024. Lomangino Brothers has not yet returned our request for comment.
Private sanitation trucks are notoriously dangerous to cyclists and pedestrians: from 2010 to 2018, the private carting industry was involved in 26 fatal crashes. There are currently more than 90 different companies operating trucks across the city.
Earlier this year, the City Council introduced a bill that would divide the city into 20 separate zones, with one carting company operating per zone. The bill's proponents say that it would reduce commercial garbage truck traffic by 60 percent. The legislation has not yet been voted on.
This post has been updated to include the information on the carting company.
