Video shows wrong-way driver hit cyclist in Park Slope
Surveillance video given to News 12 appeared to show a Honda HRV crossing the double yellow traffic lines into the opposite lane. The rider jumps off the bike right before the car hits it.
A Brooklyn man is speaking out after a wrong-way driver ran over his bicycle in Park Slope - forcing him to dive out of the way.
Surveillance video given to News 12 appeared to show a Honda HRV crossing the double yellow traffic lines into the opposite lane. The rider jumps off the bike right before the car hits it.
The incident happened around 1:15 p.m. on Saturday at the corner of 5th Avenue and 10th Street.
The cyclist, Tom Flaschen, said he called 911, but officers claimed they could not file a report because they “did not witness the accident.”
Flaschen told News 12 on Tuesday that the driver was over the age of 70 and stayed on scene, but the victim hoped that this could be used to bring stronger safety measures.
“This isn’t about the actions of one individual,” said Flaschen. “I do not harbor any ill will towards this man. I just really want to see it as a catalyst for change and improving the streets and making it safer for everyone, not just those fit enough to dive out of the way at the last moment.”
Statement from Michael Racioppo, district manager of Brooklyn Community Board 6: “This is troubling on many levels. First, as alleged, the NYPD says they can’t do anything about it because they 'didn't witness it,’ and they wouldn’t be allowed to do anything about 99.9% of things. If someone had reported a person running past them, pointing a gun at them, but the NYPD didn’t witness it, would they give the same response? I would hope not, but either way, this entire incident reinforces why we need to make better policy choices, such as more protected bike lanes, so drivers can’t drive in the wrong direction so easily, camera enforcement, and also reinforces why we’ve supported traffic enforcement to reside with DOT as it did through the mid-1990s.”
