NEED TO KNOW
A vigil was held for Daria Serkov a day after she was fatally struck by a commercial truck while riding a bike with her friend
“We were all together having dinner last night and playing games, and everybody was there except for Daria, and then we got the call later that night,” the vigil’s organizer said of the moment she received the news
While Serkov, 15, died in the collision, her 16-year-old friend, who was steering the bicycle, was hospitalized with leg injuries
A vigil has been held for a New York City teen who was fatally struck by a commercial truck while riding a bike.
At around 9 p.m. local time on Friday, Sept. 18, a vehicle belonging to the excavation company Badger Infrastructure Solutions hit two teenagers who were traveling on a bicycle together, leaving one injured and one dead, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).
The truck driver, who police identified only as a 57-year-old man, was heading westbound on East 14th Street and making a right turn onto First Avenue when his vehicle struck the teens.
The 16-year-old girl who was steering the bicycle — which appeared to be a Citi Bike in footage shared by ABC7 Eyewitness News — sustained injuries to her leg and was hospitalized, per the NYPD. The passenger, later identified as Daria Serkov, sustained severe trauma to the body and was pronounced dead.
Having not been injured in the collision, the truck driver remained on the scene in the wake of the crash, police said.
Hours after the tragedy occurred, dozens of community members and teenagers gathered in Manhattan’s East Village at the intersection of East 14th Street and First Avenue to pay tribute to Serkov.
“She was just 15,” Chris Janssen, who organized the vigil, told reporters, per CBS News. “These kids just need to be together.”
In videos obtained by Fox 5 New York, mourners are seen with tears in their eyes as they lay candles, flowers and photos on the ground near the intersection. Community members, including many teenagers, hugged and supported each other during the emotional gathering.
While speaking to reporters, Janssen recalled learning what had happened to Serkov while having dinner with her family.
“We were all together having dinner last night and playing games, and everybody was there except for Daria, and then we got the call later that night,” she said, per Fox 5 New York. “It was just surreal.”
“This is a parent’s worst nightmare and she’s got a twin sister that’s having a real… it’s hard. It’s very hard,” she continued. “There was a crew of us that went to the hospital with the mom and her sister and we were there until about 3:30 this morning.”
NYPD car (stock image)
Credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty
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A spokesperson for Badger Infrastructure Solutions, which owns the vehicle involved in the fatal collision, previously addressed the incident in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
“We are devastated by the loss of this young life and extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends,” the spokesperson said. “Our thoughts are with all those impacted, and we are grateful to the emergency responders who provided care and assistance at the scene.”
They also stated that the company is “fully cooperating with the NYPD and other authorities as they investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision.”
Read the original article on People