A bicyclist from Great Neck was killed Sunday morning in a hit-and-run, police said, after being struck by a minivan in Lake Success.
David Schlichting, 66, was traveling east on the Long Island Expressway south service road between Exits 33 and 34, according to Nassau County police, in the vicinity of Great Neck South High School when he was struck by an older model minivan.
Schlichting, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown from the bike and suffered head trauma, police said. He was then taken to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, where he was pronounced dead about half an hour later, police said.
Lake Success Police Sgt. Patrick McGorman said the bike Schlichting rode was “clearly destroyed” and sitting next to a telephone pole when he arrived. A witness to the accident also stopped at the scene, made the call and spoke with police, he said, before video footage from Great Neck South High School’s security team confirmed her account.
It was currently unclear if the driver was speeding based on the video footage, but Schlichting was riding his bike closer to the edge of the roadway, wearing a helmet and taking all the right safety precautions, McGorman said.
“It appears this bicyclist was doing what he should have been doing,” McGorman said. “He is purely the victim of this hit-and-run incident.”
The driver left the scene, which McGorman noted is a serious felony.
The investigation was ongoing and detectives requested anyone with information about the crime contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
Please consider editing this article to clarify David was struck the DRIVER of a minivan. When journalists write victims were hit by vehicles with no mention of the driver, you might as well just call it an accident (which it rarely is). Your works absolutely matter.