Richie O’Brien died from injuries he suffered in a Sept. 23 pedestrian accident in Central Park, Streetsblog.org reported. According to police, O’Brien was walking on the East Drive on his way to work when he was struck by a 32-year-old bicyclist. Both men were thrown to the pavement, but O’Brien ended up suffering severe head injuries, the report said. He was transported to Weill-Cornell in critical condition. His family said he remained in a medically-induced coma and died on Sept. 27. O’Brien is survived by his wife and two daughters, ages 8 and 12, family members said. We offer our deepest condolences to the family for their tremendous loss. They will be in our thoughts and prayers.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Issues
Streetsblog reports that this fatal collision comes at a time when the City Council is taking up more than a dozen bills related to micromobility devices. So far, this year, 66 pedestrians have been killed by drivers, according to the Department of Transportation. None of those fatalities involve e-bike riders.
After the crash, the Central Park Conservancy issued a statement reiterating its call for more safety measures on the Drives, including making permanent the current 15 mph speed limit and better enforcement. Park officials have also called for better bike infrastructure around the Park’s perimeter so commuters and delivery riders have safe, direct routes that don’t require cutting through the park.
Pedestrian accidents involving bicycles can result in major or catastrophic injuries. Victims often end up suffering head trauma, spinal cord damage, multiple broken bones, internal injuries, etc. As in this tragic incident, a pedestrian accident can also result in death. A number of these accidents are caused by driver negligence (carelessness). It is important that an injured victim or families that have lost their loved ones in such accidents immediately contact an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer in New York City to learn about their rights.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a bicycle accident or pedestrian accident, or if you have lost a loved one in an auto accident caused by a negligent (careless) driver, the very experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. It is in the best interest of injured victims and their families in such cases to contact a very experienced personal injury lawyer before contacting the people responsible for the injuries, and definitely before contacting or communicating with any insurance company, or their lawyers, investigators, or adjusters.
Pedestrian accident victims and their families should remember that they can seek compensation for injuries or losses in collisions even if the victim was not walking in a marked crosswalk and even if the driver involved in collision was not charged. Our law firm recovered the full one-million-dollar insurance policy for a girl who was not in the crosswalk when a motor vehicle hit her.
For over 55 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. We also recovered $1,500,000 for a lady who was hurt by a bus, although there was only a 1 million dollar insurance policy and we got $500,000 above that insurance policy.
We also obtained $295,000 out of a $300,000 insurance policy in compensation for the victim of a bicycle dooring accident (where a car door opens into the path of a bicyclist). One of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases. Also, we got a $1,400,000 verdict in a motorcycle accident.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases, negligence cases, motor vehicle accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, trip-and-fall accidents, ceiling collapse cases, lead poisoning, paraplegia cases, quadriplegia cases and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source:https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/09/27/pedestrian-struck-by-cyclist-in-central-park-has-died