A woman riding a Citi Bike was fatally struck by a cement truck in Astoria Thursday (Photo: Google Maps)
Jan. 6, 2023 By Michael Dorgan
A woman riding a Citi Bike was fatally struck by a cement truck in Astoria Thursday.
Tamara Chuchi Kao, 62, was riding the bike at the intersection of 24th Avenue and 29th Street just after 5 p.m. when the truck hit her as it was rounding a corner, according to police.
Kao, of 30th Avenue in Astoria, was riding her bike eastbound on 24th Avenue when she pulled up alongside the passenger side of the cement truck – between the truck and parked cars – while it was stopped at a red light, police said.
The truck driver, a 48-year-old man, then attempted to turn onto 29th Street after the light changed to green, the NYPD said.
As the driver made the maneuver, the truck struck Kao and knocked her off the bike, cops said.
When police arrived on the scene, they found Kao lying on the roadway with trauma about the head.
EMS pronounced her dead at the scene. It is unclear if she was wearing a helmet, police said.
As the driver made the turn, the truck struck the victim and knocked her off the bike, cops said (Photo: Google Maps)
The cement truck driver remained at the scene and was not injured, police said. No arrests have been made and the investigation remains ongoing.
The incident took place feet from a Citi Bike docking station although police could not specify what type of bicycle Kao was riding at the time.
Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani tweeted that the victim was on a Citi Bike.
“A woman riding a Citi Bike two blocks from my office was just killed by a turning cement truck,” Mamdani wrote about an hour after the incident.
“Absolutely heartbreaking.”
A woman riding a CitiBike two blocks from my office was just killed by a turning cement truck.
Absolutely heartbreaking.
I don’t know her name & her family likely doesn’t even know that she’s dead.
All I know is that she’s the 4th cyclist to be killed in Astoria in 2.5 yrs.
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) January 5, 2023
State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez also took to Twitter to mourn Kao’s passing, describing it as an “unnecessary death.”
“These are not ‘accidents’– traffic violence is the outcome of poorly designed streets and is a solvable problem,” Gonzalez wrote.
She said that four people cyclists have lost their lives in Astoria in the last two and a half years.
Today, a cyclist in Astoria lost her life after a turning cement truck hit her. Once we learn more, we will provide updates on how best to support the family and community of this individual. For now we mourn another unnecessary death. https://t.co/uqkxGvlDg6
— Kristen Gonzalez (@Gonzalez4NY) January 6, 2023
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7 Comments
I just saw on the news that Bicyclists deaths are down in NYC for 2022. Unfortunately things like this happen. We need more bike lanes.
Omg. The feeling of being run over by a 20 ton truck must be horrible!
I am a cyclist and a native of this neighborhood and vicinity. Most cyclist deaths are contributory in some way by the cyclists themselves. Lack of situational awareness, needlessly putting themselves in harms way due to ignorance of basic physics or arrogantly expecting the world to stop and give way. Painting the gutter green and calling it a bicycle lane gives a false sense of security to ill experienced riders. Citibike users in particular are the lemmings of cyclists. I ride almost every day. its astounding actually how many dont die given their weak skill set. I am not here defending bad drivers but I certainly see too many people cruising on bikes oblivious to the danger of their actions. I also dont care much for aggressive cycling activists constantly pointing the finger towards everyone else being the problem but not owning up to their own participation. This poor woman who died had no business cruising the streets. Had no clue why not to be in the blind spot of a truck or even be near it in the first place. Its also frustrating to me as a highly trained and skilled cyclist to share the road with these people. A sad yet avoidable tragedy. I believe more and more each day that there really should be road tests and licenses earned. The perils of a free society.
This will just keep happening. People on the bikes and moped dont belong on the heavily congested streets of ny. They belong in parks . They belong off road. Don’t listen to me, just keep getting on your little bikes . Your helmet isn’t truck proof.
So who broke the law? Did the cyclist run red lights and not obey traffic rules? In any case, cycling in NYC isn’t safe. Stop encouraging it.
Only means one thing… It means at that time they found her, she wasn’t. Most likely, she wasn’t before.
Driver should not be held responsible.
How cone the riders going the wrong way or thru red lights never get hit! Frustrating!