A man was tragically killed after he was ejected from his stand-up scooter after striking a pothole in Ozone Park, leaving him mortally wounded on Monday night, according to authorities.
Police from the 106th Precinct responded to a 911 call of an unconscious person in the roadway in front of 109-12 Liberty Ave. at 9:30 p.m. on March 9.
Further investigation by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad revealed that the 46-year-old victim was operating a standing electric scooter traveling eastbound on Liberty Avenue when he struck the pothole and was ejected. He suffered severe head trauma after striking his head on the pavement and was not wearing a helmet, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation.
EMS responded to the scene and performed chest compressions before rushing him to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. His identity is pending proper family notification.
There are no arrests, an NYPD spokeswoman said Tuesday, adding that the investigation by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad remains ongoing.
The city’s Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) immediately responded to the scene of the crash and made roadway repairs.
“This is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts are with the victim of this crash and his family,” NYC DOT Spokesman Vin Barone said Tuesday. “NYC DOT has crews working around the clock across the five boroughs to fill potholes and make emergency road repairs — with more than 10,000 potholes filled in just the last week alone, and plans to resurface more than 1,100 lane miles this year.”
NYC DOT has already filled in 45,100 potholes this year, and as the weather warms, the agency’s pothole-filling efforts ramp up. The high volumes of snowfall, salt and use of tire chains all contribute to wear and tear on the city’s roadways, following the winter and cycle of freezing and thawing conditions.
New Yorkers have lodged more than 11,300 pothole reports to 311 so far this year, with more than half of them reported on Queens roadways, according to the New York Post. The number of pothole reports are 33% higher than last year.
