A truck driver's turn preceded a fatal East Village Citi Bike crash.
A 57-year-old truck driver turning from East 14th Street onto First Avenue hit a bicycle carrying two teenagers on September 18, 2026, killing 15-year-old Daria Serkov and injuring the 16-year-old operator, police accounts and video reporting said.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police accounts reported by Gothamist said a 57-year-old driver was heading west on East 14th Street and turning right onto First Avenue when he hit a bicycle carrying two teenagers. Daria Serkov, 15, was a passenger; a 16-year-old girl was pedaling and steering. The Daily News, citing surveillance video, reported that the bicycle did not turn as sharply as the truck and went beneath its front wheels just outside the crosswalk. Police accounts said both were turning right. Both teens were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where Serkov was pronounced dead. Reports placed the collision around 9 p.m., while EV Grieve reported about 9:30 p.m. The driver stayed at the scene, and CBS reported no charges as of September 19.
Two accounts describe the turn
Police accounts reported by Gothamist said a 57-year-old driver was heading west on East 14th Street and turning right onto First Avenue when he hit the bicycle; the bike was traveling in the same direction and attempting the turn. The Daily News said surveillance video showed the teens riding alongside the truck as it stopped, with its turn signal on. Its report said the bicycle did not turn as sharply as the truck and went beneath the truck's front wheels just outside the crosswalk.
Gothamist, CBS and the Daily News placed the collision around 9 p.m.; EV Grieve reported about 9:30 p.m. Both teenagers were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where Serkov was pronounced dead. Gothamist reported that the other girl had a leg injury and was in stable condition.
Remembering Daria Serkov
Gothamist and CBS reported that Serkov, 15, was a passenger and that her 16-year-old friend was operating the bicycle. CBS said police first gave the surviving girl's age as 13, then corrected it to 16.
Serkov lived in Peter Cooper Village, less than a mile from the crash site, and attended New York City Museum School in Chelsea, where she played soccer for Lab Museum United's Lady Gators team, the Daily News reported. A friend posting as hitheingriddy remembered her as “one of the kindest people I knew,” the Post reported.
Reports differ on the truck description
Gothamist called the vehicle a Peterbilt commercial truck; the Daily News identified it as a 2021 Peterbilt and reported that it bore Badger Daylighting's logo. The Post's first report called it an excavation truck. Its follow-up called it a sanitation truck in its opening, then described it as a hydro excavation truck. The teens were riding together on an electric Citi Bike, according to the Daily News.
A dangerous crossing, advocates say
The crash happened at East 14th Street and First Avenue in Manhattan's East Village. The Daily News reported that a protected bike lane runs across the street from the crash site, but it was unclear whether the girls were heading toward it.
Transportation Alternatives said Serkov was the fourth cyclist killed on an eight-block stretch of First Avenue in the past decade. The group called for turn calming, protected bike infrastructure and a protected bike intersection, Gothamist reported.
The investigation continued
Police said the driver stayed at the scene. CBS reported no charges as of September 19, and Gothamist said the NYPD's Highway District Collision Investigation Squad was investigating. Badger said it was cooperating with police, according to Gothamist.