New York, NY (August 18, 2026) – A 32-year-old bicyclist was injured on Sunday night, August 16, when she was struck by an SUV on the Upper East Side. It happened around 7:38 p.m. at Third Avenue and East 68th Street, police said.
A 23-year-old man driving an Acura SUV was turning from Third Avenue onto East 68th Street when the bicyclist crossed East 68th Street against the light, traveling east to west, according to police. The two collided.
Medics took the bicyclist to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center with minor injuries. The driver remained at the scene, and no arrests were made.
No further details about the wreck were released. We hope for a full recovery for the bicyclist.
Why Are Turning Vehicles So Risky at City Intersections?
Crossing against a traffic signal, sometimes called jaywalking or an improper crossing, depending on local rules, removes the built-in timing intended to keep pedestrians and cyclists separated from turning vehicles. A driver making a legal turn on a green light typically isn’t expecting cross traffic to be moving through the intersection at that same moment.
Turning vehicles present a particular challenge at busy city intersections, since a driver has to watch for pedestrians, cyclists, and oncoming traffic all at once while completing the turn. A cyclist entering the crosswalk unexpectedly, even briefly, can be outside a turning driver’s immediate line of sight until the last moment.
Dense urban intersections like this one see a constant mix of turning cars, cyclists, and pedestrians throughout the day, which is one reason traffic signals and crosswalk timing are designed with specific phases for each group. When any part of that timing is not followed, the margin for error narrows significantly for everyone involved.
