Young Artist Killed By Truck While Cycling To Work
Police identify victim of deadly #Brooklyn bicycle crash as 27 y/o Leah Sylvaine. @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/e4HpDJGYFz
— ilana gold (@ilanagoldTV) June 7, 2016
A 27-year-old cyclist who worked as an artist in the Brooklyn Navy Yard was killed by a truck yesterday morning.
Leah Sylvain was riding northbound in the bike lane on Evergreen Avenue when she was struck by a Peterbilt truck driven by 52-year-old Joseph Cherry as it turned left onto Hart Street on June 7 at about 6:45am, according to the NYPD. She was pronounced dead at Woodhull Hospital, say police.
Cherry was also riding northbound on Evergreen Avenue when he made a left turn on Hart Street and hit Sylvain, according to cops.
Perhaps the worst victim-blaming I’ve seen in years. Shameful. From @CBSNewYork h/t @Naparstek @elipongo https://t.co/w9WaqXwicj
— Brooklyn Spoke (@BrooklynSpoke) June 7, 2016
Syvlain worked as a charge scenic painter at Scenicorp in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and was on her usual commute to work, according to the New York Post.
The Post reports:
“I couldn’t think straight. My heart just dropped,” said the woman’s roommate, Tina Duran, 45.
“It’s shocking. She was always a happy girl with a smile on her face.”
“I used to tell her to be careful because there are lots of crazies out there,” Duran added. “She would say, ‘Yeah, I know, I will be careful.’”
Cherry has been charged with four counts including failure to yield to a bicyclist and and failure to exercise due care, according to police.
According to CBS2 New York:
Anthony Cherry said his father was behind the wheel of the truck and stopped immediately when they heard a loud “boom.”
“We thought we hit a car and it was actually person,” said Cherry, who was in the passenger seat of the truck at the time of the crash. “I was so traumatized. I freaked out.”
Unfortunately, there have been several bike-related fatalities recently.
In April, James Gregg, co-owner of The Great Georgiana (248 DeKalb Avenue), was struck and killed while riding his bike in Prospect Heights.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams led a bike tour in April to mourn the loss of Gregg and another fallen bicyclist, Lauren Davis.
Bike lanes have been a hot topic in the neighborhood. Last month, the Department of Transit withdrew plans for a bike lane on Clinton Avenue after significant community opposition.