By Ben Fractenberg and Tom Liddy
DNAinfo Staff
MANHATTAN — A cyclist was killed after colliding with a cement truck on a Lower East Side street Thursday afternoon, officials said.
The accident unfolded around 5:30 p.m. when the biker, who was going south on Chrystie Street, turned onto Delancey Street.
Police identified the deceased as Jeffrey Axelrod, 52, of Hicks Street in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.
Sources said that Axelrod lost control of his bike, slammed into the back of the truck and got pulled under the moving vehicle.
It appeared that the cyclist, who was wearing a helmet, had a problem with his chain, according to the sources.
Witness Jose Martinez, 32, of Brooklyn, said that when Axelrod made the turn, he got wedged in between the truck and a parked car.
After that he began to shake and then fell under the truck.
Police did not suspect any criminality in the incident. The driver, 42, stayed at the scene.
The accident happened about 50 yards away from a ghost bike - a memorial to cyclist Rasha Shamoon, who was killed on Aug. 5, 2008.
