An e-bike rider was killed in Queens on Thursday afternoon after being struck by an SUV — the latest fatality as the city continues to see a surge in e-bike collisions this year.
According to law enforcement sources, 55-year-old Zhao Feng Zhen of Bayside was riding an e-bike southbound on Hollis Court Boulevard near the intersection with 50th Avenue in Queens Village at around 2:18 p.m. on July 31 when the deadly collision occurred.
Zhen was traveling in the same direction as a 2015 Nissan Rogue driven by a 62-year-old woman, authorities said.
The SUV was approaching 50th Avenue when it collided with the two-wheeler, throwing Zhen from the bike and onto the pavement, police sources said. She suffered severe chest trauma as a result of the collision and subsequent ejection from the device.
Officers from the 111th Precinct immediately rushed to the scene after getting a 911 call about the crash. EMS rushed Feng Zhen to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
No arrests have been made, but the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad continues to investigate.
The tragic incident comes just days after Mayor Eric Adams proposed new rules aimed at moped and e-bike riders working for food app delivery companies. The proposals would require the companies to register with the city Department of Transportation (DOT) and assign ID numbers to deliveristas.
It is not clear right now if Feng Zhen was riding the e-bike for a delivery company. NYPD statistics show that collisions involving e-bikes are up over 25% year to date compared to the same period last year.
Zeroing in on the 111th Precinct, there have been a total of two traffic fatalities year to date, which is no change from the same period last year, according to the latest traffic statistics.
Meanwhile, e-vehicle safety advocates have called for the passage of Priscilla’s Law, which would require all e-vehicles to be registered with the DOT, not only those affiliated with app companies.
