A large truck hit a Citi Bike in the East Village on Friday night, killing a 15-year-old girl, the New York Police Department said.
The department said it responded to a call at 9 p.m. about the accident. There were two girls on the bicycle: the 15-year-old, who was a passenger, and a 16-year-old who was steering. The bicycle and the truck collided while both were making the same right turn from East 14th Street onto First Avenue.
The younger girl, Daria Serkov of Manhattan, died shortly after being taken to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition, a police spokesman said.
The 16-year-old was in stable condition at the same hospital, he added. She was not named. (The police previously gave her age as 13 before revising it to 16.)
Badger Infrastructure Solutions, a company that provides excavation and other related services, confirmed early Saturday that one of its vehicles had been involved in the accident.
The police said the truck, a medium-duty Peterbilt model, had been heading west on 14th Street and trying to turn right onto First Avenue when it hit the bike. The driver, a 57-year-old man, was not injured and was questioned at the scene. No arrests have been made, the police said, adding that an investigation was ongoing. According to preliminary information, the driver had not shown signs of impairment and did not appear to have violated traffic rules at the time of the collision, the police said.
Ambulances and police vehicles converged on the scene, where the truck was stopped on a pedestrian crossing with a bike crumpled under it.
Chawalak Puangsawasdi, who was in the area on Friday, said she had been crossing 14th street around 9 p.m. on Friday when she heard a loud crunch.
“The truck hit something really loud,” said Ms. Puangsawasdi, 52. “Then people started screaming, ‘Stop, stop.”
Nearby, she said she saw what appeared to a person pinned under the front wheels of a truck. She ran across the street to alert her husband, Bdin Puangsawasdi, 59, who owns a restaurant on the west corner of 14th Street. He ran out to the intersection and watched emergency medical workers pull a girl out from under the truck and deliver lifesaving measures.
“The police shook her, but she wasn’t responding,” Mr. Puangsawasdi said.
Near the girl, Mr. Puangsawasdi said he saw a mangled Citi Bike pinned beneath the front wheels of the truck. Behind the back wheels, he added, he saw a sneaker.
According to images and information from Badger, the company operating the truck, the vehicle did not have side guards shielding its under-section, the area where the cyclists appear to have been struck.
Under local law, all trade waste trucks above a certain weight must have side guards protecting this area.
In the case of Friday’s collision, the truck had a valid waiver exempting it from the rule, according to a spokeswoman for the city’s Business Integrity Commission, which regulates trade waste companies. Such waivers are typically granted when side guards are considered impractical because of a truck’s design and layout, she said, citing city law.
In a statement, Badger said it was cooperating with the police investigation.
“We are devastated by the loss of this young life and extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends,” the statement said.
This week, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a plan with more than 100 policy goals designed to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries over the next decade, after a number of fatal traffic collisions renewed concerns about crowded sidewalks and roads in the city.
Most of the policies are aimed at protecting cyclists and pedestrians, the most frequent victims of serious traffic collisions. Mr. Mamdani said on Tuesday that there had been a substantial increase in daily bike ridership in the city.
The plan’s goals include adding new safety features to thousands of city-owned vehicles, among them audible alerts on trucks and enhanced emergency brake systems.
Later this month, the City Council is scheduled to hold a comprehensive hearing to consider several bills that would better govern the use of electric bikes and scooters and crack down on illegal vehicles.
A spokeswoman for Lyft, the operator of Citi Bike, said in a statement on Saturday that it was prepared to help law enforcement as the investigation continued.
“We’re deeply saddened by this tragedy, and our thoughts and condolences are with the family during this incredibly difficult time,” the statement said. “Safety is our top priority, and we remain committed to working with our city partners to make streets safer for everyone.”
On Saturday afternoon, few remnants of the night’s events were visible, but a bouquet of white flowers was tucked into a traffic post at the intersection of 14th Street and First Avenue.
Across the street, Matthew Gonzales, 30, unlocked an electric Citi Bike.
Mr. Gonzales, who relies on Citi Bikes to get to and from work, said he had been saddened to hear about the collision. He added, though, that it would not deter him from using the bikes.
“I’m still going to Citi Bike,” he said. “It’s the best combination of cost and time.”
Isabella Kwai, Oishika Neogi and Ishani Desai contributed reporting.