Fatal Motorcycle Crash in Williamsburg

Posted on February 1, 2017

A motorcyclist lost his life in an accident that occurred in Williamsburg, Brooklyn  at approximately 5:00 a.m. At first, police believed that a bread truck crashed into a 68-year-old man riding a Suzuki motorcycle at the intersection of Bushwick Avenue and Montrose Street.

The truck left the scene, and police arrested the driver at Manhattan and Grand Streets, about a half-mile from the site of the collision, mistakenly thinking that this was a hit-and-run accident. The motorcyclist was immediately taken to Woodhull Hospital, where he was declared dead.

However, upon a review of surveillance footage, police realized that the truck driver did not cause the accident, and he was freed from custody. The camera revealed that a cab driver turned left in front of the motorcycle that was going north on Bushwick Avenue. This caused the motorcyclist to lose control, and as a result, the motorcycle skidded underneath the bread truck, which was parked while the driver was making a delivery.

According to police, when the driver returned to the truck, and noticed the motorcycle underneath his truck, he was under no legal duty to investigate. Therefore, police could not charge him with fleeing the scene of an accident.

This case represents an example of a common type of accident involving motorcycles and other vehicles. Left-hand turns made by other motorists in front of motorcycles is a leading cause of motorcycle accidents, and usually, the motorcyclist is the one who suffers injuries that are often fatal.

If you were injured or lost a loved one in a motorcycle accident, call the motorcycle accident attorneys at Proner and Proner.