BUSHWICK — A cyclist riding in the bike lane was fatally struck by a truck Tuesday morning — and officers arrested the driver, police said.
Leah Sylvain, 27, of Connecticut, was riding north in a bike lane on Evergreen Avenue about 7 a.m. when she was struck by a Peterbilt fuel truck driven by Joseph Cherry, 52, turning left on Hart Street, an NYPD spokesman said.
Sylvain suffered severe head trauma and was pronounced dead at Woodhull Medical Center, police said.
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Bushwick resident Keshia Brown, 34, said she saw Sylvain laying face down on the ground after the collision.
"There was a lot of blood coming from her head. EMS tried to take the messenger bag off her," Brown said. "They were tapping her, saying, 'You OK? You OK?' But she didn't respond."
The bike also appeared to be badly damaged, according to Brown.
"The bike was done," she said. "The seat and the handlebar were just gone."
Cherry, who is from Bedford-Stuyvesant, was arrested at the scene for failure to yield, failure to exercise due care and violating local law, police said.
The NYPD also set up a check point at the intersection Tuesday and stopped several drivers to check their license and registration.
DNAinfo/Trevor Kapp
Brown said Cherry looked "very concerned" after striking Sylvain.
"He was trying to help her," Brown said. "He was frantically walking back and forth on the phone."
