Kelly Killian, pictured, was fatally struck by an e-bike in Astoria Friday (Photo Courtesy of Chris Killian)
June 1, 2021 By Christina Santucci
A 54-year-old real estate agent named Kelly Killian was struck and killed by an e-bike in Astoria Friday night – around the corner from where she lived.
Police said they received a 911 call just after 8:30 p.m., and when emergency responders arrived at 31st Street and 21st Avenue, they found the injured woman lying in the road.
Killian had suffered severe trauma to her head. Medics brought her to Elmhurst Hospital, where she was initially listed in critical condition, the NYPD said.
She later died from her injuries, her family said.
An initial investigation by the NYPD Highway Unit’s Collision Investigation Squad found that a 26-year-old man on an e-bike had been headed east on 21st Avenue and struck Killian, who had been walking in the crosswalk.
Her brother, Chris Killian, said his sister had been en route to get dinner with a friend at the time.
The e-bike driver – who the NY Daily News reported was a delivery worker – stayed at the scene and had not been charged as of Tuesday, police said.
Killian’s family said that they are awaiting the results of the NYPD’s final investigation but do not blame the e-bike driver.
“It clearly was an accident. I’m sure the guy feels terrible,” Chris Killian told the Queens Post. “It’s not something that I would want to live with myself.”
Since her death, he has discovered that Killian had made many friends throughout her life.
“There are all of these people everywhere that loved her. She was a really nice person who was outgoing and energetic,” he said.
Killian grew up in Delaware. After college she lived in Panama, Puerto Rico and Florida before moving to Astoria about 10 years ago.
She was the cool aunt to Chris Killian’s three children – planning adventures and taking the kids for dumplings when they visited the city.
The intersection of 31st Street and 21st Avenue where Killian was fatally struck (Photo: Christina Santucci)
Killian loved animals, and her family has since arranged for a friend to take in the two kittens she had adopted during the pandemic. “That would be super important to her,” Chris Killian said.
She was also a strong believer in organ donation – a conviction that she developed following the death of her and Chris Killian’s father. “She gave what she could,” her brother said.
Killian’s bio page on the real estate site, Zillow, described how she became a full-time residential real estate agent in 2008 following a 13-year career in international marketing.
She had worked as a packaged goods marketer for Procter and Gamble and PepsiCo, according to her biography on the real estate site, R New York.
Killian also opened her own brokerage, Kelly NYC, in 2013.
On the Zillow page, she had received more than 30 glowing reviews from past clients who praised her dedication, determination and professionalism.
“Kelly Killian is a joy and a gem. She is knowledgeable, funny, intelligent and clear,” one person posted.
Another former client wrote, “If I had to use one word to describe Kelly, it would be INCREDIBLE.”
Chris Killian said his sister had stayed friends with some of her clients – long after the real estate deals had finished.
“That’s the kind of person she was,” he said.
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46 Comments
Council Member Costa Constantinides endorsed Tiffany Cabán to replace him in the City Council for Astoria when he leaves office at the end of the year.
a woman is dead and it has nothing with caban or aoc.
im not gonna tell y’all again!
HAVE SOME RESPECT !!!
We don’t know anything yet. Please stop with the blame game. And please also stop pandering your favorite city council candidate. It’s too much – a woman has died here!
The brother said it was an accident. This is a news source site not a Memorial one. Discussions about current events is a good thing.
People on bikes also experience road rage. I seen a lot of it. I witnessed people on bikes not only curse at and harass drivers but do the same to pedestrians. I seen them use foul language and scare elderly, the didabled and woman with children who sometimes walk slower and have delayed reaction time to traffic. People on bikes need licence plates and insurance.
They are adding to it. They’re not the victims of road rage as you speak about.
Pedestrians and drivers are.
Another sad reason why bikes of all kinds need to be registered, inspected,and insured. They also need to be held accountable to traffic laws and be held responsible if they ride while intoxicated or high. Bike, ebike moped vesper electric skateboard i dont care , it should be registered
Very sad. We need good leader for city council to stop fast cars and fast bike and Asian attack. I vote for Julie Won. She is endorsed by state senator John Liu.
Seriously, what the hell does Julie Won have to do with this?
They all talk about change, I’ve yet to see it.
This is so sad. Whenever you’re driving for money, be it as a taxi or delivery person, on a bike or in a car, things can get dangerous when you are in a rush. These independent contractor app companies have little/no employee guarantees or protections and must be regulated so that the drivers aren’t just making variable amounts of money based on volume. That incentivizes unsafe driving and leads to deaths like this one.
Amit Bagga understands this, has a plan for it, and this is why I will vote for him to be our next council representative. He won’t represent Ms. Killian’s district, but he will lead on this issue among others citywide. This is the leadership we need for LIC/Sunnyside/Woodside. This comment was not endorsed by any campaign.
I will vote for Badrun Khan. She has a better plan.
The place! A woman is dead because of a precious ebike! Have some respect!
I will no longer be silenced.
when you get clipped and your life gets cut short your family wouldn’t mind if we say what we’re having for dinner or where we’re going on our next vacation.
HAVE
RESPECT!
when you get clipped and your life gets cut short your family won’t mind us writing what we’re going to have for dinner or where we are going on our next vacation.
R
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Tragic. RIP
Real estate agents should hold a press conference and have a candle light vigil or something to bring more attention to the dangers of walking around and crossing the street. Most of them have to walk to show places throughout the day for a living. its a dangerous job. there lives matter.
Astoria traffic in general is horrible. Please look both ways and learn to listen for traffic. Stay off phones and nix the music, your life is more important. I almost saw an accident this weekend from a driver running a red light. He was speeding at 50MPH towards two stopped cars and a guy on a motorcycle. I didn’t look back at the speeding car, hearing his engine was enough, I yelled at the people in front of him. But the guy on the moto was in La-La Land. Jerk ended up running the light through a parking space.
When is NYC going to start enforcing the bike laws! You see it everyday bicyclists going the wrong way on one way streets and constantly running through red lights and never yielding to pedestrians. Add to that these new electric scooters/mopeds where they are doing the same thing including their drivers not wearing helmets. How many more people are going to be hurt or killed before something is done?!
not only leaves office but is also held accountable for all the lives lost under his watch due to neglect, bail reform and his precious bike lanes.
These bikes also race past you on the sidewalks in Astoria. Sickening
The brother doesn’t seem to mind much or care before making statements about it being an accident during an investigation of what happened. I would be devastated and it would take me a long time to say it was just an accident. “It clearly was an accident. I’m sure the guy feels terrible,” Chris Killian told the Queens Post.
I don’t care how the killer feels. This woman is dead. More bike lanes? NO. She probably got lousy third rate care at Elmhurst hospital and did not receive proper emergency medical attention.
my condolences to the family
Elmhurst hospital is the absolute pits. If I am able to get myself there: NYU.
Meanwhile, I DO find it weird that the brother is kinda acting like he’s OK with his sister being plowed down due to this guy. HE RAN A RED LIGHT! SHE WAS IN THE CROSSWALK WHEN IT WAS HER TURN! HE PLOWED THROUGH!
THIS ISNT AN ACCIDENT — THIS WAS NEGLIGENCE AND HIM NOT BEING ABLE TO HANDLE HIS VEHICLE!
Two people died near ditmars blvd closed streets due to traffic so far this spring. One by a car last month and now this. If only the family of the victim that got killed by the car driver can forgive the driver on the news this world would be a better place.
She was in a crosswalk, you’re supposed to stop for people in a crosswalk, but once again you can give an a-hole anything and they can be dangerous with it, even an E-Bike, which they modify to go faster than the legal limit of 20 miles per hour.
E-bikes be going super quick. Astoria people be hungry to get food delivered fast or else they complain on yelp.
Very Sad. May she R.I.P. – thoughts and prayers to the family & loved ones.
you can thank the mayor for this murder.
According to someone I spoke to who was on the scene shortly after it happened, there were some noble efforts by people to help the woman till the EMTs came and to sheild her from traffic as well as the downpouring rain.
Terrible thing but I’m not surprised. I’m nearly hit by bikes or e-bikes nearly every day. They ride in opposite directions, on the sidewalks and at high speeds. Most don’t follow traffic rules.
My favorite move is driving with the lights off to save the battery.
Prosecute that person for second degree murder.
He made a conscious choice not to stop.
Such a shame. This will keep happening. The E bike people run lights constantly. Much more often than cars.
But yeah e bikes are too blame somehow ?
Can’t say that for bikes.
You’re blaming the victim now? I think that drivers should be responsible. Apparently they aren’t loud enough, because cars kill MANY many more people than bikes. They run lights more often too, the stats are there.
Oops, you’re completely wrong again!
Who was the victim?
You can’t hear a bike! Hoe is that her fault???
a danger to people???
I wonder if Queens State Assemblymember Zohran K. Mamdani will set up a GoFundMe to support the family of Kelly Killian.
He probably will
been about a week not a word from him.
no, he’s too busy hating on the Jews to care about anything else.
This took place one block away from Ditmars Blvd. on a Friday evening when Ditmars Blvd is closed to cars for outside dining. Thus more cars, trucks, city buses, bikes and people are using neighboring avenues to get around. My sister lives on 21 Ave and has told me that ever since they closed Ditmars for dining traffic has been chaotic on 21 Ave.
So terrible. My heart goes out to the family.
I see idiots on e-bikes riding like maniacs every damn day. It’s a miracle this doesn’t happen more often.