Pedestrian, bicyclist struck and killed by truck

UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A pedestrian and a bicyclist were struck and killed by a motortruck connected the Upper East Side Friday morning.

Authorities accidental the Baldor Express Transportation motortruck was traveling westbound connected East 61st Street and deed the 2 victims portion making a close crook onto Third Avenue astatine 9:21 a.m.

The 66-year-old motortruck operator stopped astatine the scene, telling detectives the state pedal was stuck arsenic the helium made the turn.

His motortruck mounted the sidewalk, struck some the 47-year-old pedestrian and the 37-year-old bicyclist, past continued into a parked car.

The victims were rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital, wherever they some died.

ALSO READ | United, Delta, JetBlue canceling galore Christmas Eve flights owed to omicron surge

He was taken to the precinct to beryllium interviewed, but truthful far, nary charges person been filed.

The bicyclist was a transportation person, and different transportation riders gathered astatine the scene.

The clang besides sent shockwaves down the full New York City biking community.

"Drivers are conscionable driving recklessly adjacent much than before," cyclist Tracey Hinder said. "It's truly scary being a cyclist successful the city. It's gotten scarier implicit the past year."

Hinder does societal rides.

"There's a batch of times wherever I've astir been tally disconnected the roadworthy oregon broadside swiped by aggravated drivers," she said. "And a batch of times I'm invisible to drivers too."

The mishap remains nether investigation, but Eyewitness News cameras captured a motortruck pulling up and blocking the aforesaid motorcycle lane the transportation cyclist was riding successful earlier helium was struck and killed by the Baldor truck.

ALSO READ | Where to find a COVID test

"I anticipation the incoming mayor, Mayor Adams, tin truly bash thing astir this and marque the metropolis safer for cyclists and pedestrians," Hinder said.

A hunt of the truck's usurpation past recovered that it is based successful the Bronx and had 270 violations successful the past 2 years. Almost each of them are parking violations that see parking successful crosswalks and motorcycle lanes.

According to Transportation Alternatives, astatine slightest 265 radical person been killed, including astatine slightest 14 transportation workers, successful postulation crashes truthful acold successful 2021, the astir successful immoderate of the past 8 years.

"We are heartbroken and outraged that postulation unit has claimed the lives of 2 much New Yorkers this vacation season," Executive Director Danny Harris said. "On behalf of Transportation Alternatives, we nonstop our condolences to the families of those killed contiguous connected the Upper East Side, and to Los Deliveristas Unidos, who person mislaid different indispensable subordinate of their assemblage owed to postulation violence. As different acceptable of families are destroyed everlastingly owed to these preventable crashes, we request our leaders to fast-track proven information measures, particularly connected known and unsafe corridors similar Third Avenue. This includes redesigning streets for safety, implementing NYC 25x25, and reducing our reliance connected deadly, oversized trucks that person nary spot connected dense metropolis streets....We person the tools to extremity deadly postulation violence. We cannot fto different 8 years spell by without taking each the steps needed to scope Vision Zero."

Third Avenue was closed betwixt East 61st and East 62nd streets for the probe but has since reopened.

----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More Manhattan news
* Send america a quality tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking quality alerts
* Follow america connected YouTube
Submit a News Tip