An alleged drunk driver plowed his car into four cyclists who were riding in a citywide bicycle tour Sunday morning, leaving one cyclist in critical condition, according to the Police Department.
Abel Pina, 39 of Brooklyn, drove a minivan into the cyclists as they waited at a red light at 12th Avenue and 39th Street in Borough Park, Brooklyn, shortly after 9 a.m.
One cyclist, a 55-year-old woman, was transported to Maimonides Medical Center in serious condition. A video posted to Twitter appears to show firefighters attempting to rescue the woman pinned underneath the minivan. Three other cyclists injured in the crash were between the ages 31 and 49 and refused medical attention at the scene, police said.
“These cyclists were doing everything right on what was supposed to be a beautiful Sunday. There’s simply no excuse for what happened,” said Caroline Samponaro, the deputy director of Transportation Alternatives, which organized the cycling event, the 28th Annual NYC Century Bike Tour.
“We are all so distraught and our thoughts are just squarely with the victim, her family and directing the energy to her recovery right now,” Samponaro said.
The tour allows riders to choose various route lengths, spanning 15, 35, 55, 75 and 100 miles. While the 15-mile route was closed to vehicular traffic for the first time this year, all other routes guide cyclists along regularly-trafficked streets.
Transportation Alternatives has hosted the century tour since 1990, drawing roughly 6,000 riders to the event in recent years. Samponaro said Sunday’s crash was the first serious crash in the tour’s history.
“It underscores the importance on focusing on dangerous and reckless driving,” she said.
Pina was arrested and charged with vehicular assault, driving without a license and DWAI.
