Five Dead in a Year. Still Waiting for Action.
AD 28: Jan 1, 2022 - Jun 4, 2025
Blood on the Asphalt: The Human Cost
A man on a bicycle, crushed beneath the wheels of a turning fire truck. A young cyclist, dead on Queens Boulevard. A motorcyclist, burned alive after a BMW driver rammed him in a fit of rage. These are not stories from far away. They happened here, in Assembly District 28, in the last year. The dead do not speak. Their families grieve in silence.
In the past 12 months, five people have died in traffic crashes in AD 28. Four more suffered injuries so severe they may never walk the same. In that same time, 435 people were hurt. The numbers do not slow. They do not care if you are young or old. They do not care if you are careful. They only count the bodies.
Leadership: Promises and Pressure
Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi has taken steps. He co-sponsored a bill to force repeat speeders to install devices that keep them from breaking the law again. The bill sits in committee, waiting for action. Hevesi also voted yes to bring speed cameras to school zones, a move that saves lives by catching drivers who would rather not slow down.
Hevesi stood with other lawmakers to block the governor from pausing congestion pricing, warning that letting one person override safety policy would “make impossibly opaque the actual responsibility for MTA decisions” said Hevesi and colleagues. But the streets remain deadly. Cameras and laws are only as good as their enforcement. The city can lower speed limits now. It has not.
The Voices Left Behind
After the BMW driver killed a motorcyclist, Queens DA Melinda Katz said, “Our roadways are not the place to settle disputes”. A witness to the fire truck crash said, “One of them seemed concerned, like shaken, like shocked”. The shock lingers. The dead do not come back.
What Comes Next
This is not fate. This is policy. Call Assembly Member Hevesi. Call the council. Demand a 20 mph speed limit. Demand more cameras, more street redesigns, more action. Every day of delay is another name on the list. Do not wait for the next siren.
Citations
▸ Citations
- FDNY Truck Turns, Cyclist Killed In Queens, ABC7, Published 2025-04-20
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4802165, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-04
- BMW Driver Kills Motorcyclist In Queens, NY Daily News, Published 2025-04-25
- State Legislators Say They Never Gave Hochul the Power to Pause Congestion Pricing, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2024-08-23
- Firetruck Kills Cyclist Near Queens Park, New York Post, Published 2025-04-19
- File A 7979, Open States, Published 2023-08-19
- FDNY Truck Strikes Cyclist In Queens, ABC7, Published 2025-04-20
- Cyclist Killed By FDNY Truck In Queens, NY Daily News, Published 2025-04-19
- File A 324, Open States, Published 2025-01-01
- File A 7652, Open States, Published 2024-06-07
▸ Other Geographies
AD 28 Assembly District 28 sits in Queens, Precinct 112, District 30.
It contains Middle Village, Middle Village Cemetery, St. John Cemetery, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Queens CB6.
▸ See also
Traffic Safety Timeline for Assembly District 28
SUV Ignores Light, Slams E-Bike Riders▸Steel met flesh on Metropolitan Avenue. An SUV ran the light. It struck an e-bike. Three young riders were thrown, heads bloodied. The driver failed to yield. The morning air filled with sirens and pain.
On Metropolitan Avenue near Woodhaven Boulevard in Queens, an SUV struck an e-bike carrying three people. According to the police report, the SUV disregarded traffic control and failed to yield right-of-way. The crash left a 19-year-old woman with severe head bleeding and another 19-year-old woman with minor head bleeding. The 24-year-old male e-bike driver was also injured, complaining of pain and nausea. All three were ejected from the e-bike. The SUV driver, a 60-year-old man, was not ejected and reported no injuries. The police report lists 'Traffic Control Disregarded' and 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' as contributing factors. None of the e-bike riders had safety equipment. The impact was violent, the injuries grave, the cause clear in the data.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4550165,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
Speeding Jeep Slams Dodge on Parkway Turn▸Steel tore the morning. A Jeep struck a Dodge turning wrong on Jackie Robinson Parkway. Speed ruled. A man, 57, bled from the leg, awake but cut deep. The road stayed hard. The crash left scars and silence.
A 1992 Jeep and a 2013 Dodge collided on Jackie Robinson Parkway. According to the police report, the Jeep hit the Dodge as it turned improperly. Unsafe speed and improper turning were listed as contributing factors. The 57-year-old male driver of the Jeep suffered severe lacerations to his leg but remained conscious and belted. The 19-year-old female driver of the Dodge was involved but her injuries were unspecified. Both vehicles showed front-end damage. The report highlights 'Unsafe Speed' and 'Turning Improperly' as driver errors. No mention of helmet or signal use as factors. The crash left one man injured and others shaken.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4512749,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
2Teen Passenger Killed in Moped-SUV Collision on Cooper Avenue▸A moped struck a turning SUV on Cooper Avenue. The bike shattered. A 16-year-old girl riding on the back flew off, helmetless. Her head hit the pavement. She died at the scene. Two others suffered injuries. The street stayed cold and silent.
According to the police report, a moped traveling straight collided with an SUV making a left turn on Cooper Avenue near 88th Street in Queens. The moped carried two teenagers. The 16-year-old rear passenger was ejected and suffered fatal head injuries. The 15-year-old moped driver was also ejected and sustained a fractured leg. The SUV driver, age 30, and a 27-year-old passenger reported neck and leg pain. The crash report lists 'Traffic Control Disregarded' as a contributing factor. The moped driver was unlicensed. The 16-year-old passenger was not wearing a helmet, as noted after the primary driver errors. The impact left the moped demolished and the SUV damaged at the front.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4504806,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
Steel met flesh on Metropolitan Avenue. An SUV ran the light. It struck an e-bike. Three young riders were thrown, heads bloodied. The driver failed to yield. The morning air filled with sirens and pain.
On Metropolitan Avenue near Woodhaven Boulevard in Queens, an SUV struck an e-bike carrying three people. According to the police report, the SUV disregarded traffic control and failed to yield right-of-way. The crash left a 19-year-old woman with severe head bleeding and another 19-year-old woman with minor head bleeding. The 24-year-old male e-bike driver was also injured, complaining of pain and nausea. All three were ejected from the e-bike. The SUV driver, a 60-year-old man, was not ejected and reported no injuries. The police report lists 'Traffic Control Disregarded' and 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' as contributing factors. None of the e-bike riders had safety equipment. The impact was violent, the injuries grave, the cause clear in the data.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4550165, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14
Speeding Jeep Slams Dodge on Parkway Turn▸Steel tore the morning. A Jeep struck a Dodge turning wrong on Jackie Robinson Parkway. Speed ruled. A man, 57, bled from the leg, awake but cut deep. The road stayed hard. The crash left scars and silence.
A 1992 Jeep and a 2013 Dodge collided on Jackie Robinson Parkway. According to the police report, the Jeep hit the Dodge as it turned improperly. Unsafe speed and improper turning were listed as contributing factors. The 57-year-old male driver of the Jeep suffered severe lacerations to his leg but remained conscious and belted. The 19-year-old female driver of the Dodge was involved but her injuries were unspecified. Both vehicles showed front-end damage. The report highlights 'Unsafe Speed' and 'Turning Improperly' as driver errors. No mention of helmet or signal use as factors. The crash left one man injured and others shaken.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4512749,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
2Teen Passenger Killed in Moped-SUV Collision on Cooper Avenue▸A moped struck a turning SUV on Cooper Avenue. The bike shattered. A 16-year-old girl riding on the back flew off, helmetless. Her head hit the pavement. She died at the scene. Two others suffered injuries. The street stayed cold and silent.
According to the police report, a moped traveling straight collided with an SUV making a left turn on Cooper Avenue near 88th Street in Queens. The moped carried two teenagers. The 16-year-old rear passenger was ejected and suffered fatal head injuries. The 15-year-old moped driver was also ejected and sustained a fractured leg. The SUV driver, age 30, and a 27-year-old passenger reported neck and leg pain. The crash report lists 'Traffic Control Disregarded' as a contributing factor. The moped driver was unlicensed. The 16-year-old passenger was not wearing a helmet, as noted after the primary driver errors. The impact left the moped demolished and the SUV damaged at the front.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4504806,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
Steel tore the morning. A Jeep struck a Dodge turning wrong on Jackie Robinson Parkway. Speed ruled. A man, 57, bled from the leg, awake but cut deep. The road stayed hard. The crash left scars and silence.
A 1992 Jeep and a 2013 Dodge collided on Jackie Robinson Parkway. According to the police report, the Jeep hit the Dodge as it turned improperly. Unsafe speed and improper turning were listed as contributing factors. The 57-year-old male driver of the Jeep suffered severe lacerations to his leg but remained conscious and belted. The 19-year-old female driver of the Dodge was involved but her injuries were unspecified. Both vehicles showed front-end damage. The report highlights 'Unsafe Speed' and 'Turning Improperly' as driver errors. No mention of helmet or signal use as factors. The crash left one man injured and others shaken.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4512749, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14
2Teen Passenger Killed in Moped-SUV Collision on Cooper Avenue▸A moped struck a turning SUV on Cooper Avenue. The bike shattered. A 16-year-old girl riding on the back flew off, helmetless. Her head hit the pavement. She died at the scene. Two others suffered injuries. The street stayed cold and silent.
According to the police report, a moped traveling straight collided with an SUV making a left turn on Cooper Avenue near 88th Street in Queens. The moped carried two teenagers. The 16-year-old rear passenger was ejected and suffered fatal head injuries. The 15-year-old moped driver was also ejected and sustained a fractured leg. The SUV driver, age 30, and a 27-year-old passenger reported neck and leg pain. The crash report lists 'Traffic Control Disregarded' as a contributing factor. The moped driver was unlicensed. The 16-year-old passenger was not wearing a helmet, as noted after the primary driver errors. The impact left the moped demolished and the SUV damaged at the front.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4504806,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-14
A moped struck a turning SUV on Cooper Avenue. The bike shattered. A 16-year-old girl riding on the back flew off, helmetless. Her head hit the pavement. She died at the scene. Two others suffered injuries. The street stayed cold and silent.
According to the police report, a moped traveling straight collided with an SUV making a left turn on Cooper Avenue near 88th Street in Queens. The moped carried two teenagers. The 16-year-old rear passenger was ejected and suffered fatal head injuries. The 15-year-old moped driver was also ejected and sustained a fractured leg. The SUV driver, age 30, and a 27-year-old passenger reported neck and leg pain. The crash report lists 'Traffic Control Disregarded' as a contributing factor. The moped driver was unlicensed. The 16-year-old passenger was not wearing a helmet, as noted after the primary driver errors. The impact left the moped demolished and the SUV damaged at the front.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4504806, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-14