Bicyclist Killed on BQE Ramp

By on January 20, 2011 9:05 am in Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, News

A bicyclist was killed this morning on the Atlantic Avenue ramp of the BQE, according to BHB’s Weegee. Channel 7 adds a report that makes it sound like the rider was on the expressway itself:

WABC-TV: Police say the victim was hit in the westbound lanes, near Atlantic Avenue, just before 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

The first vehicle to hit him left the scene. A second vehicle then struck the bicyclist, and that vehicle stopped.

The victim was rushed to Long Island College Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

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  • Tom S

    Was it really necessary to have a traffic helicopter hovering over the neighborhood 2 hours after the accident occurred?

  • CB

    Agreed – earplugs are a wise investment for anyone living in Brooklyn Heights.

  • beth

    wow. so sorry your sleep was interrupted.

  • AL

    Ditto Beth’s comment.

  • Hicks St Guy

    @TomS, the bqe traffic was severely affected, get over yourself.

  • tony

    Can someone please explain to me what a bicyclist is doing on any ramp to the BQE?

  • Arch Stanton

    Because they haven’t installed a bike lane on the BQE, yet.

  • Peter

    Seriously Tom, is this what our neighborhood has been reduced to? Makes me sick. Someone died in our neighborhood, and you are worried about helicopter noise?

    I constantly defend my hood from my friends who say its populated by a collection of pompous, generic blowhards, but I am finding it harder and harder to defend myself.

  • Topham Beauclerk

    Peter, pray tell us where that magical land is where people are not “pompous, generic (?) blowhards”?

  • tony

    I feel worse for the guy who ran him over; he must be traumatized by this. People need to stop glorifying dead bicyclists who ignore all traffic laws and then are considered victims.

  • JoeyJoralemon

    If you are riding on the BQE at anytime, let alone 4:30am, seems you are probably on a suicide mission and most likely drunk.

    And Brooklyn Heights, as charming as it is visually, is full of a lot of uptight, drab mofos. Cranky people who have nothing to do but moan on this site and hate.

  • amy

    Are bicyclist even allowed on the BQE? I have a view of the BQE from my window and I have NEVER saw anyone on a bicycle?

  • the Where

    double jizzle – did you just whine about whiners? well done.

  • Heights

    Why is it necessary for helicopters to hover over the scene of an accident, traffic tie-up, etc.? Can’t people be advised of traffic delays without the 10 second shot from the helicopter of an overturned car, fender bender or whatever? If it happened occasionally I sure there would be no complaints, but it seems to be a regular thing lately.

  • AEB

    Uh, Tom, the person who was killed was a human–just like you, with a family and (undoubtedly) friends.

    You don;t have to visit the person’s grave, but do recognize, please, that a life is a life, and sudden death in an accident almost always tragic.

  • Heights

    I don’t see where Tom says this wasn’t a tragic accident. I think he just asked why it was necessary to have helicopters hovering over the site for more than two hours. Honestly, it just seems kind of ghoulish to me. Are they just trying to get a dramatic shot for the evening news?

  • acd

    I believe the helicopters were hovering to get a shot of the BQE for traffic reasons. That’s how the morning news usually get their information on delays.

  • Heights

    Get a shot of the delays and move on!

  • AEB

    Sorry, I was addressing Tony, above, not Tom. My error!

  • nabeguy

    Tony’s comment is just another voice among the chorus that are currently being voiced in the debate over bike/motorist integration in our city. While not necessarily a sensitive, or even well thought-out one, it represents one side of the divide, namely one that argues that it’s the fault of bicyclists who are injured or killed by ignoring traffic laws at their own peril. However, the fact is that people are killed every day by ignoring those very laws, whether they be motorists who run red lights or pedestrians who cross against it.
    As a motorist, I support the bike initiatives that are being implemented in NY, but am disappointed by the fuzziness of the rules, or lack thereof, that guide them.

  • bornhere

    Truly a horrible event; but “get a shot and move on” doesn’t provide information to those who might be a mile away in traffic, using the roadway in 30 minutes, etc. It is also possible that the choppers were PD and conducting some sort of AI assessment. Whatever — they were not there for any reason other than someone having lost his or her life. So my sense is that the hovering was necessary. The insensitivity (or hypersensitivity) to the sounds of the urban landscape are amazing. Perhaps we can next complain about ambulance and FD sirens.

  • Tara

    I heard the helicopters and wondered what happened. Sad story.

  • weegee

    We can rationalize ourselves to death with “well, they should get a shot and move on” all we like, but that’s not how it works. The chopper can’t hover over a field in Kansas somewhere and only get in position above the BQE when it has a five second warning to airtime.

    The whole point is that information is better conveyed by SHOWING something rather than just TALKING about it. I guarantee you’re more likely to remember that there’s an incident on the BQE because you saw the shot of the miles of stationary headlights on your screen than if someone rattles off “delaysontheBQEatAtlanticbackin’youuptoFlushingAvenueduetoapoliceinvestigation.”

    To amy’s question, bicycles certainly aren’t allowed on the BQE, but you’d be surprised at the number of bikes/pedestrians that accidentally find themselves on a highway or bridge. NYPD Highway routinely runs on “person walking in traffic” calls. People sometimes miss the “No Pedestrian Traffic” signs, but they are around.

  • Buddy Holly

    Is the Westbound side the side that runs from Atlantic towards the Bridge, or the other way? It is confusing since the road actually runs North/South through here.

  • AEB

    My question is, If someone has put him- or herself in harm’s way, and the result is that person’s death, is that death then the person’s fault?

    In one sense–yes, of course it is. In another, fault is irrelevant. Did the person deserve to die?

  • Buddy Holly

    A chopper hovering over the site for 2 hours. Is that supposed to bring the person back to life? Or to summon us to prayer.

  • nabeguy

    Buddy, be glad there weren’t news choppers when you went down. I was awoken by the brrruzzing of the rotors as well, but realized after a full minute or so that that they were in place for a reason. I’m not going to get into a discussion about the morbidity of the news reports in our city…they do what they do, regardless of what discomfort it causes the citizenry. And, as bornhere astutely points out, they may have been PD copters, which makes the issue of blame a rather murky one. Maybe the best approach is to go local…complain here:
    http://www.brooklyntheborough.com/tag/marty-markowitz/

  • Buddy Holly

    I wish there was a chopper around when I went down. (I could be writing music for Lady Gaga today. I just love that sl t.) But, in this case, a chopper didn’t help anyone. LIC is 3 blocks away. They didn’t need a chopper. That’s all. (Marty couldn’t have saved anyone either.)

    Not complaining, just making a point. So which way is West? North or South? I will petition St. Peter to give the victim a free pass to heaven. Let’s all pray. Amen.

  • Jeffp

    Peter, As someone who could live in the Heights or Slope of Brooklyn, but who chooses to live in another less sanctimonious hood, I assure you you are wasting your time.

    One sad aspect of capitalism is that people confuse money with many things, and they get arrogant, etc. Not all people, mind you, but the nouveau who forget from whence they came.

    On the other hand, Fidel Castro was born rich, and risked his life many times to do what he felt was the right thing.

    So, Tom, I hope the copter wakes you up every night.

  • Jeffp

    Let me add that even though I am an avid bicyclist, I don’t think any biker who breaks laws deserves special treatment. Indeed, I think helmet’s should be mandatory for riders of all ages, headlights and tail-lights should also be required, and should be on all day (like for motorcycles), and riders should obey all traffic signals, signs, etc.

    Therefore I absolutely agree with Tony that this rider’s death was his own doing, and thus is not in any way tragic — unless you consider suicide tragic.

    Why would anyone ride on the BQE unless they had a serious death wish?

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