via GoFundMe campaign
A 41-year-old man who was hit by a cyclist while walking to work through Central Park last week has died, and a fundraiser for his wife and two young daughters has already drawn nearly 800 donations.
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Richie O’Brien, a union steamfitter with Local 638, died early Sunday, September 27, four days after the crash, according to the family’s GoFundMe. Police were called to the scene around 6:36 a.m. on Wednesday, September 23, according to the police report. A 32-year-old man was riding a bicycle northbound on West Drive while O’Brien was walking in the roadway, and the cyclist struck him. O’Brien fell to the ground and suffered severe head trauma. The cyclist was also thrown from the bike and had minor injuries.Police haven’t released the cyclist’s name, and no arrests have been made. The NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad is investigating.
O’Brien was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and placed in a medically induced coma, his aunt, Luann Moskowitz, said in Instagram posts first reported by Our Town. She said he’d had two brain surgeries, and that it took EMS 15 minutes to reach him because of congestion from the United Nations General Assembly.
The police report places the crash on West Drive near West 84th Street. However, Laura Sackler, a frequent park runner who witnessed the collision, told Streetsblog it happened on East Drive near East 84th Street, behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She said the cyclist was on a regular pedal bike and was riding northbound, the correct direction. Sackler said she made the clarification to correct inaccurate posts that had circulated online.
“We are incredibly grateful for the love, prayers, and support that have surrounded Richie and his family throughout this heartbreaking journey,” the family said in a statement. In an update on the fundraiser, organizer Casey Bartels wrote that O’Brien died with his wife by his side and was able to donate his organs.
O’Brien is survived by his wife, Ronni, and their daughters, Kylie and Mia, who are 8 and 12. According to the fundraiser, Ronni has been a stay-at-home mom, and the money will go toward immediate expenses and their mortgage. As of Monday afternoon, it had raised more than $113,000 of its $150,000 goal. Anyone who wants to contribute can do so here.
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The Central Park Conservancy renewed its call last week for more safety measures on the park’s drives, including a 15-mph speed limit that the city’s Department of Transportation put in place but that’s now suspended amid litigation. The group is also pushing for stronger enforcement and better bike infrastructure around the park’s perimeter so commuters and delivery riders don’t have to cut through the park.The City Council is scheduled to take up more than a dozen bills related to micromobility on Wednesday, according to Streetsblog.
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