Video Shows Bus Driver Fatally Striking Citi Bike Rider
Sept. 20, 2018, 1:07 p.m.
The video contradicts initial reports that the cyclist, Dan Hanegby, swerved into the bus driver's path.
Dan Hanegby
Last summer, Dan Hanegby became the first Citi Bike rider killed in the program's history, after bus driver Dave Lewis fatally struck him on West 26th Street. After NYPD sources initially said that Hanegby, 36, "swerved" away from a parked vehicle and into Lewis's bus, Gothamist found video evidence that contradicted this account. The Manhattan DA's office eventually charged Lewis with violating New York City's Right of Way Law, a misdemeanor, and failure to exercise due care, a traffic violation.
The New York Times reports that at the first day of Lewis's trial, his attorney Jeremy Saland argued that the evidence shows Hanegby was “seemingly oblivious to what’s going on around him" when he turned off of 8th Avenue and onto West 26th Street on June 12, 2017, in part because he was wearing headphones. Hanegby, a married father of two who was on his way to work at the time of his death, was an experienced bike commuter.
Lewis's trial continues today, and footage from two surveillance cameras is being used as evidence against the bus driver. This morning, the judge in the case released the evidence to the public.
Surveillance footage of Hanegby being run over will be released shortly to the press, over the objections of the defense. It was shown in court previously.
— Max RN (@MaxRivlinNadler) September 20, 2018
Warning, the video below is disturbing.
A second video shows the aftermath of the crash, as pedestrians run to Hanegby's aid; Hanegby appears bleeding and conscious. The bus is not seen.
“We were just way too close to this cyclist,” one of the bus passengers testified, according to the Times. “There was nowhere for him to go. I was sitting there, looking out and kind of wishing for the best.”
Lewis is on trial because he refused a plea deal that would have given him a $1,000 fine, driver remediation classes, and a six month license suspension. He now faces up to 30 days in jail if found guilty.
According to the Mayor's Management Report released earlier this week, Hanegby was one of 21 cyclists killed on New York City streets in 2017; 16 cyclists were killed in 2016, making an increase of 31 percent.
Check back later for more coverage on Lewis' trial.
Additional reporting by Claire Lampen and Max Rivlin-Nadler.
