By Christina Santucci
An NYPD traffic officer from Queens died after he was pinned underneath the wheel of a truck in midtown Saturday afternoon, according to police and The New York Post.
The 71-year-old traffic enforcement agent, Kalyanarat Ranasinghe, was struck by the front wheel of a 2013 Freightliner Vacuum Truck as it pulled away from a parking spot at about 2:30 p.m. at 44th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues, the NYPD said.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene and pronounced Ranasinghe dead, according to cops.
Queens resident Ranasinghe, a native of Sri Lanka and father of one, had paused from his duties directing midtown traffic to take a phone call at the time he was hit, the Post reported.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Ranasinghe had been on the job for the past six years.
“Every day, traffic enforcement agents play a critical role in making sure millions of New Yorkers can safely get to where they are going,” the mayor said in a statement. “The NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad is conducting an investigation of this terrible tragedy. On behalf of the entire city of New York, our thoughts and prayers are with the Ranasinghe family.”
Police said after Ranasinghe was struck, a bus collided with the vacuum truck while trying to pull into a parking spot in front of the truck.
The drivers of both vehicles remained at the scene, and the investigation was ongoing by the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad, according to cops.
Reach managing editor Christina Santucci by e-mail at timesledgerphotos@gmail.com by phone at 718-260-4589.
