On Friday afternoon, a serious accident involving an electric motorcycle occurred at the intersection of U Avenue and Homecrest Avenue in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn (between East 12th Street and East 14th Street). A video taken by a bystander shows an electric motorcycle lying on the corner near a trash can, with its wheel detached and the body split into two pieces. Across the street, a young white man is seen sitting on the ground, holding his leg in pain, and later being carried on a stretcher by multiple firefighters to receive medical treatment.
The person recording the video commented in Cantonese that the electric motorcycle did not have a license plate, raising suspicions of being illegally operated on the road, “Another motorcycle collided, split into half, and half of the body is missing.”
Deputy Chairman of the Bensonhurst 61st Precinct Community Council, Mr. Zeng, suggested that the accident may be related to speeding. “The speed limit on this street is 25 miles per hour, but judging from the impact, the speed may have exceeded 100 miles per hour to cause the body of the motorcycle to split, the wheel to fly out, and the vehicle to disintegrate.”
Mr. Zeng mentioned that the involved vehicle appears to be unregistered, uninsured, and without a license plate. The driver may face multiple criminal charges, including driving without a license, driving without insurance, and speeding. He added that according to the law, all motorcycles and motorbikes must be registered and insured, but lax enforcement in the past has led to a common occurrence of non-compliant vehicles on the road. Therefore, in addition to urging drivers to follow traffic rules, he reminded pedestrians to pay attention to traffic lights and the flow of vehicles when crossing the road to prevent tragedies.
It is reported that the accident did not involve any other pedestrians or vehicles, and the extent of the driver’s injuries has not been disclosed, but there may be fractures or internal injuries. The police are conducting further investigations into the incident.