A Bed-Stuy resident identified as Alexander Braggs of Jefferson Avenue died Wednesday afternoon, after he was thrown from his motorcycle and struck by a truck.
Braggs, 51, was struck by a dump truck while trying to avoid a collision with the truck.
According to police reports, on Wednesday, at approximately 1:20 pm, Braggs was traveling westbound pm Atlantic Avenue on his motorcycle, a 2007 Honda, and a dump truck, a 1999 Ford, was traveling in the same direction behind him.
Braggs was attempting to make a right turn on to Hunterfly Place just as the truck decided to try to pass him from the right. In an effort to avoid striking the truck, Braggs made a hard break of his front wheels that caused him to lose control.
Braggs was then thrown from his motorcyle onto the pavement, when the truck struck and killed him. Police report there is no apparent criminality.
Motorcyclists and bicyclists are constantly dealing with this kind of aggressive, dangerous behavior by motorists who don't believe they should share the road with vehicles on two wheels. The truck driver should be held responsible for making an illegal maneuver that resulted in the death of the driver.
I would hope that a 51-year-old would be a bit more responsible, but in any event, it still doesn't excuse that this happens quite often and the offending drivers are rarely held responsible.