Rider dies after e-bike curb crash in Washington Heights
Dayanara Deschamps Betances, 49, died after police said she was riding an e-bike with a 75-year-old passenger and hit a curb at Amsterdam Avenue and West 181st Street, where the official record lists one cyclist killed at 3:19 a.m.
What We Know
Dayanara Deschamps Betances, 49, was riding an e-bike north on Amsterdam Avenue with a 75-year-old passenger seated behind her when police said she hit a curb at West 181st Street around 3:19 a.m. Both people were thrown onto the sidewalk, according to the Daily News. EMS took Betances to Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she died; the passenger was not injured. The city crash record lists one cyclist killed at the Manhattan intersection and identifies the vehicle as an e-bike with two occupants. The available records describe the cause differently: the crash record lists following too closely, while the vehicle entry lists reaction to an uninvolved vehicle, and the police account reported by the Daily News says Betances hit a curb.
Police said the rider hit a curb before she died
Police told the Daily News that Betances was riding north in the right lane of Amsterdam Avenue at West 181st Street around 3:19 a.m. on May 2, with a 75-year-old passenger seated behind her, when she hit a curb.
Both riders were thrown onto the sidewalk, according to the article. EMS took Betances to Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she died. The passenger did not sustain injuries.
The rider lived near the crash site
The Daily News identified the rider as 49-year-old Dayanara Deschamps Betances and reported that she lived in Washington Heights, about seven blocks from where the crash happened.
Amsterdam Avenue has a long crash record
The crash happened at Amsterdam Avenue and West 181st Street in Manhattan.
Along Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, CrashCountNYC’s location context shows 2,226 crashes, 1,161 injuries, 86 serious injuries and 7 deaths from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.
Records differ on the contributing factor
The city crash record lists following too closely as a contributing factor. A separate vehicle entry lists reaction to an uninvolved vehicle, while the police account reported by the Daily News says Betances hit a curb.
Police investigation continued after the crash
The Daily News reported that the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad was investigating the collision.