Scooter Rider and Cyclist Die on Queensboro Bridge Bike Path
A 39-year-old man on a Teverun Blade GT II scooter and a 35-year-old bicyclist died after a May 28 collision on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge bike path, where police later said the scooter rider was passing.
reviewed article location (Streetsblog NYC)
What We Know
A 39-year-old man riding a stand-up scooter and a 35-year-old man riding a bicycle died after a May 28 morning collision on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge bike path. The official crash record places the scooter rider westbound and the bicyclist eastbound, and later police reporting to the Post said the scooter rider was trying to pass another rider before entering the oncoming side of the path. amNY reported the travel directions in reverse, a conflict with the official record and several other police-attributed accounts. The official vehicle record identified the scooter as a Teverun Blade GT II and listed traffic control disregarded and unsafe lane changing for the scooter rider. Advocates said the device was illegal for New York streets and capable of speeds up to 53 mph, while police said the riders' speeds at the moment of the collision were still under investigation.
Morning collision in the bridge bike path
Police received a 911 call at 8:21 a.m. on May 28 for a collision in the Queensboro Bridge bike lane. The city crash record and police accounts identified two men who died: a 39-year-old scooter rider and a 35-year-old bicyclist. EMS took both men to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, where police said they were pronounced dead.
Police accounts reported by Gothamist and the Post said the scooter rider was traveling westbound and the bicyclist eastbound. amNY reported the travel directions in reverse.
A passing maneuver drew police attention
The official vehicle entry recorded the scooter rider as passing before the collision and listed traffic control disregarded and unsafe lane changing for that rider. The Post later reported that police said Francis Delvalle veered left to pass a slower bicyclist before colliding with Dmytro Stechenko. Police also said it was not clear how fast either rider was traveling.
A busy bridge route with opposing bike traffic
The collision happened on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge bike path, a route between Midtown Manhattan and Long Island City over Roosevelt Island. ABC7 described the bridge as one of the city's busiest for pedestrians and cyclists.
The crash came about a year after city officials opened separated pedestrian and bicycle paths: bicycles use the north outer roadway and pedestrians use the south outer roadway. Gothamist reported that the redesign converted an 11-foot path formerly shared by pedestrians and cyclists into a bike-only path; CBS reported that the opposing bike lanes are divided by a painted white line.
The riders who died
Later coverage identified the bicyclist as Dmytro Stechenko, 35. The Post said he lived in Queens, was originally from Ukraine and worked as a software engineer at Meta; West Side Spirit reported that he had been living in Long Island City.
Published accounts differed on the scooter rider's surname. The Post and a Streetsblog follow-up used Francis Delvalle, West Side Spirit used Francis Del Valle, and an earlier Streetsblog report cited a police source as Francis Delball. The Post said he was 39 and from Paramus, New Jersey, and reported that a friend said he left behind a wife and two children.
A high-speed device and the question of speed
The official vehicle record identified the stand-up scooter as a Teverun Blade GT II. The Daily News reported that the model has an advertised top speed of 53 mph, and Transportation Alternatives said the device was illegal for New York streets and bike lanes.
The Daily News reported that city law limits stand-up e-scooters to 15 mph and that state law bars street use of scooters capable of exceeding 20 mph. Police told CBS they were investigating whether either man was speeding at the time.
Investigation and calls for regulation
Police said there had been no arrests and that the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad was investigating.
Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets urged the City Council to pass Intro 244, the Ride Safe, Ride Right bill, which advocates said would restrict the sale of high-speed micromobility devices. Streetsblog later reported that Teverun added a website warning saying unrestricted mode is for private or off-road use only.