When Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly arrived a few minutes late to St. Patrick’s Cathedral for Mass on Wednesday morning, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan gently ribbed him for being tardy.
However, Mr. Kelly, who was the grand marshal of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, had a legitimate excuse: He had stopped on the Upper East Side to aid a bloodied, unconscious woman who had been struck by a bicycle, according to the Police Department’s chief spokesman.
Mr. Kelly had just left the mayor’s St. Patrick’s Day breakfast at Gracie Mansion around 8:15 a.m. and was heading south on Fifth Avenue when he saw the woman lying in a crosswalk of Fifth Avenue, near 84th Street, said Paul J. Browne, the spokesman. Mr. Kelly had his driver stop his black sport utility vehicle, Mr. Browne said.
The woman, who lives on the Upper East Side, was apparently walking on Fifth Avenue near 84th Street when she was struck by the bicycle, Mr. Browne said.
Mr. Kelly got out of his vehicle with two detectives. One detective and Mr. Kelly applied pressure to a wound on the woman’s head with a scarf while the other detective called an ambulance, Mr. Browne said.
Mr. Kelly was “prepared to bring her to the hospital,” but he said that paramedics arrived quickly, Mr. Browne said.
The woman was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center with a fractured skull; she is “stable there,” Mr. Browne said.
When Mr. Kelly later arrived for Mass, “the archbishop lightheartedly chided him from the pulpit for being a little late,” Mr. Browne said.
Mr. Kelly never got to tell the archbishop why he was late.
“He didn’t have the opportunity,” Mr. Browne said. “So, he never heard the story.”
Meanwhile, the man riding the bicycle, who had stayed on the scene after the accident, was given a summons by the authorities for having “improper brakes, no reflectors and no light,” according to the police.
10 Comments
So, since the cyclist was NOT written up for any traffic violations, one HAS to assume that the pedestrian was jaywalking when she got hit.
But it just HAS to be the cyclist’s fault, so they write him up for “improper brakes” (whatever that means), and a lack of reflectors and lights (in broad daylight).
— TMacSo the cyclist did the right thing and stayed at the scene only to get “written up”, probably by some uniform looking to make points with the Commish.
And the lesson here, dear fellow cyclists, is obvious. If you’re not down yourself and your bike is still rideable – leave the scene as fast as possible.
— GeorgeNew Yorkers should be glad the Commissioner is picking up aided case job’s while he is motoring about the city. With the Police Departments headcount down about 8000 and counting the Department needs his help out there.
— JAMES FMI hope Kelly and the NYPD crack down on all the boneheaded cyclists…
— stressed dessertsI think the cops actually rewarded the rider for staying. A person was injured no matter of fault it should be recorded. By issuing a couple of minor violations and know moving violation they are helping him in future if this is a serious injury.
— C Brooklyn#5 – your sentiments reveal a naivete. The NYPD, at the direction of Commissioner Kelley – has been at war with bicyclists for a long time.
He has poisoned the atmosphere so much that no cyclist should ever feel safe around a cop in NYC.
This but the latest example of blaming a responsible cyclist by pestering him with stupid citations.
The cop should have simply taken the cyclists name and contact info and thanked him for remaining at the scene of the accident. There was no justification for ticketing a good samaritan with petty, non-moving violations which is what this cop did.
It’s just so typical of Kelly and his anti-bicycle goon squad.
— GeorgePedestrians have the right of way ALWAYS.
If you don’t like it, don’t ride in New York (or any other city anywhere for that matter!)
— tal#7 – I have no idea where you are from – but in NYC pedestrians DO NOT ALWAYS have the right of way. They are required to cross with the light at demarcated crosswalks.
In this town you CAN and you MAY well get ticketed as a pedestrian for jay walking or crossing against the light.
— George#8 and in NYC cyclists are suppose to obey all traffic rules of the road…fat chance of that!
— stressed desserts#9 – I fail to see the relevancy of your point in this situation. As was noted in the comments above – the cyclist was NOT ticketed for any moving violations. So apparently he was obeying all of the TRAFFIC RULES of the road.
If you have a general gripe with bicyclists in NYC – at least rely on a situation where the facts actually agree with your argument.
— George